The 58th Job
by truthinaims
Summary: Everyone knew Shawn had 57 jobs before Psych, Gus kept very careful records and Shawn tells Gus everything, right? An old friend comes to town from a job Shawn never mentioned and her presence threatens to reveal Shawn's secret. Shules, Gus/OFC, Lassy/OFC
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: **I always wondered how Shawn would react if psychics were real and I wanted to explore his time away from Santa Barbara a little more, hence CJ my OFC psychic creation. I hope it's clear that the stuff in italics is him remembering. I don't have a beta so all mistakes are mine, hopefully I caught the majority of them.

**Spoilers: **The whole series pretty much. I have Shawn and Juliet together so I'm saying it's around where they are now.

**Characters:** Shawn, Gus, Juliet, Henry, Lassiter, (pretty much anyone from the show I can toss in) and CJ (OFC)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own them, unfortunately for me.

_Around 10 years ago_

As Shawn raced down the highway on his motorcycle, ignoring the gnawing in the pit of his stomach, he was glad he'd lied to Gus about what he'd been doing for the last six months. Well, not lied exactly. He'd sent a postcard saying he 'couldn't discuss his current job.' It wasn't his fault Gus had naturally assumed his friend had been recruited to some secret government agency. It would make it easier to avoid discussing this if, when he ever went back to Santa Barbara.

It wasn't fair, what he was doing now. Cruel maybe, to one of the few people he would consider a friend. He knew everybody thought he made friends easily, and he did, sort of. Those were more like acquaintances though, and this had been different. CJ had trusted him and he had walked away. She should have known better, the dependable guy you can turn to when the going gets tough, that wasn't him, not by a long shot.

/

_She was pushing herself as far back into the corner of the couch as humanly possible. Her eyes were closed, her head back, the teacup in her hands rattling as her hands shook. Shawn was shaking too, what he had just seen, that was a little too real, and so much worse than last time. He'd almost bolted then when he'd seen what happened to CJ. What helping the police with the missing little boy had done to her._

_\\\\\\\\\_

_He'd spent a lot of time amusing himself by uncovering fake psychics, fortune tellers etc. There were always tells, he knew they were lying and it was only a matter of time before he figured out how they got away with it. He thought this job would be a lark. Assistant to a psychic was something he'd never done and CJ was an easy boss to work for and let him crash on her couch. Shawn didn't think they'd become friends, but it'd happened anyway. Shawn worked with her everyday, receptionist and food fetcher mostly. Watching as she read palms and took consults, never seeing her tells, never knowing how exactly she knew the things she did. Some of it was observation, he figured out the same things she did, but there were details she couldn't possibly know. _

_He got so frustrated a few weeks in that he finally flat out asked her how she did it. Was there another assistant he didn't know about? Researching the clients after they made the appointment and reporting back. CJ just stared at him, mouth set in contemplation not anger. _

Do you really want to know?

_She had asked, and the tone of her voice making Shawn swallow deeply._

I'm psychic, Shawn.

_There were no tells, nothing to indicate she was lying, but she couldn't be telling the truth. _

You're best friend's name is Gus. You met before you remember and have been friend's ever since. You left your home after you turned 18 and haven't looked back. You've had over 20 jobs since then and never attended college. Your IQ is off the charts and your observation skills are because your father, a cop, trained you a little too well when you were a kid. You send Gus a postcard from every town you visit, the weirder the picture the better. Pineapples are your favorite fruit and you want more than anything to believe I'm lying right now but you also know deep down I'm not.

_Shawn just sat there. Deep in thought, reviewing everything he'd seen in the 3 weeks he'd been working for CJ. The stuff she couldn't know but somehow did. He wished Gus was here right now, he'd always been more into the paranormal stuff. _

How? I mean, what... what do you see? How do you know? How long have you known?

_CJ breathed out a sigh of relief, it seemed the psychic really hadn't known how she would be perceived. Chuckling slightly she went on to explain that she'd always seen things, the slight pause and the way she glossed over any explanation of her family's reactions made Shawn note that family life hadn't been great in the early years at least. She went on to say that mostly she saw auras, colors around people that changed with their emotional state. It wasn't reading minds but she'd had enough practice it was almost the same. She also got some things from psychometry, Gus would love that term, get readings off of objects she touched. _

Hmm, cool.

_And that was the end of the discussion. Shawn believed her but it didn't change anything besides him trying to get CJ to give inside info on the girls he wanted to pick up in bars, but that was just good business sense in his opinion. _

_\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\_

_Everything was good for a while. Shawn introduced CJ to obscure 80's pop culture references and CJ introduced him to the old Doctor Who episodes. They ate take out, and laughed at the strange assortment of clients that wandered into the office. _

_Then CJ had a vision, Shawn thought it was a seizure at first but she called him an idiot and told him to grab her migraine medication and some tea. He came back in the room to see her wrapped in a blanket talking quietly on the phone with what he guessed was the police department from listening to her side of the conversation. He heard her mention the name of a young boy who had been kidnapped yesterday according to the news report that had been on at the bank earlier. He sat quietly until she got off the phone, mostly because of the look on her face and partly because he recognized the need for a serious moment when he saw it._

You have visions.

_It was more of an accusatory statement than a question, and she flinched, a guilty expression on her face, before nodding._

Not all the time, and normally only when something really bad has happened.

_The pained look on her face made Shawn feel a bit guilty about this but he needed to know. _

You saw where the boy was, didn't you? Are they going to find him, alive I mean?

_She flinched again._

Maybe. I don't know. I gave them details on a location he has been. I don't know if he's still there and I'm honestly not sure he's still alive. The visions aren't explicit and rarely contain all the necessary information.

_\\\\\\\\\\\_

_It took three days to find the boy, alive but in critical need of medical attention. He hadn't been at the house CJ saw, but clues there had led the police to his kidnappers who gave up his location once they were threatened with murder charges. _

_CJ was not in a good place during those days. Trying as hard as she could to get anything else to help. He didn't think she slept at all and was a little shocked to see her popping prescription stimulants. When the boy was finally found she just collapsed. Shawn got her into bed and she slept for 17 hours straight. He sat there, feeling a little creepy watching her as she slept but he was trying to figure her out. This serious vision had brought out a side of her he hadn't seen buried beneath the normally happy attitude. People normally didn't surprise him and this was the second time she'd done it. He contemplated leaving, he knew that made him a crappy person but he didn't know if he could handle seeing his friend break down again. _

_He stayed though he wasn't exactly sure why. CJ recovered and was back to her snarky self within the next few days. She was hesitant around Shawn, treating him like a skittish animal and he wondered if she was more aware of his thoughts about leaving than he would like. She calmed down though after he forced her into a John Hughes marathon with copious amounts of popcorn and sugary treats. _

_/_

Shawn shook his head to clear his thoughts. They'd made it another few months before another vision hit. He'd been grabbing take out from the taco place down the street. When he got back to the office she'd been in the middle of the vision. This one was worse, much worse. It looked like she was gasping for breath and Shawn hadn't been able to do anything but sit there and wait for it to be over. He could tell from her face that whatever she had seen was bad. After he got her meds and water she shakily started grabbing her purse and keys. He'd tried to get her to sit down but she'd been insistent on going to the station herself. She asked him to stop by the store and pick up some skittles then meet her there, it almost seemed like she was giving him an out and Shawn was a coward so he took it. As soon as she got into her car and drove off he crammed his stuff into his trusty duffel bag, packed his bike and left.

He knew a friend who could get him a bartender job for a week or two in Chicago and maybe by then he'd be able to look himself in the mirror, he hoped.


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **I am going to try and update every week (possibly faster) but I start classes tomorrow so I will have to see how that goes. I have an idea of where this is going/cases that will happen, but feel free to let me know if you want to see anything in particular.

**Disclaimer: **Not mine.

Carlton Lassiter was wary as he and his partner Juliet O'Hara made their way up the stairs to the apartment above a bookstore he had been in a few times. He always liked the cozy atmosphere in the store but hadn't gotten over in a few months and had only heard in passing that the old owner had sold the store and place above to some young woman. He honestly hadn't thought about it that much until they traced the tip back to this address.

The tip from a female caller was detailed, too detailed. She had been insistent that the judge did not simply suffer a heart attack but had been attacked in his chambers and injected in the back of his neck right at the hairline with something that caused his heart to stop. The uniform answering the call had come straight to Lassiter and his partner and he'd grunted out his version of good job before ordering a call down to the coroner.

The injection was a detail no one but the killer should know. The department hadn't even been able to confirm until they asked the coroner to double check for injection marks. When Woody had called back with confirmation, SBPD scrambled to figure out where the caller was and the detectives had raced to the scene, hoping the suspect had been stupid enough to stay exactly where they were.

Drawing his weapon, Lassiter knocked.

"SBPD. Open up," repositioning his grip on his gun he tensed waiting for the suspect to emerge.

The door burst open and the man inside almost tumbled out.

"Lassie! What are you doing here? Did you figure out who killed him already? Whoa, point that gun somewhere else. Valuable psychic right here. What's going on?" Shawn Spencer went from excited to worried about the gun to confused in about .2 seconds. His hair was crazy as usual and his worn flannel button down was open over a t-shirt the head detective assumed reference some obscure 80's pop culture icon but didn't care enough to try to read.

Lassiter groaned, the headache that always seemed to pop up around the department's psychic was already on it's way. His junior detective however shifted between delight at seeing her boyfriend and confusion as to why he was at the suspect's apartment.

"Hey, Jules, are you going to tell me why you're here, while Lassie tries to remember all the reasons he shouldn't shoot me?" Shawn leaned into a hello kiss from Juliet then shifted back on his heels to wait for an answer.

It hadn't escaped the Head Detective's notice that Shawn was still holding onto the door in a way that prevented them from seeing farther into the apartment. His reluctance to invite them in, and the fact he still hadn't explained why he was here set Carlton's teeth on edge. Juliet put a hand on the detective's arm, whether it was simply to keep him calm or to prevent him from punching the smirk off her boyfriend's face he wasn't sure.

"We traced a tip someone called in to this apartment. It was a woman caller though, the officer who handled it was sure of that at least. Is anyone in there with you?" Juliet frowned a bit, she wasn't a jealous person but she didn't know Shawn had any close friends in Santa Barbara besides Gus and the people in the police department. It was actually a little weird how Shawn didn't have many good friends, he seemed to make friends easily enough, but none of them were particularly close to him besides Gus.

Her train of thought was interrupted when a soft voice chimed in. "Let them in Shawn. It's rude to keep people out on the stoop." Shawn opened the door in a grand gesture with sweeping arms and a half bow and the detectives entered the small apartment.

Carlton took the time Juliet spent introducing themselves to the woman, CJ was her name, looking around the apartment. It was painted in warm colors with many pillows and blankets and plush rugs. The furnishings were a mix of old and new, some seemed to have belonged to the previous owner while others had obviously been purchased when the new tenant took possession. The decorations on the wall were a mix of paintings and photographs of different locations in the US and abroad. The large and expensive television was playing the menu screen of some video game the two had obviously been playing before they were interrupted. Snacks and energy drinks were scattered around. Great not only was he going to have to deal with Shawn he was going to have to deal with Shawn on caffeine, not a pleasant interaction when they weren't in the middle of a murder investigation. He jumped a bit when he felt something brush his leg and looked down to see an orange cat winding around his feet.

The woman looked over at the movement, green eyes, brown hair, average looking, around Shawn's age he noted as she spoke. "That's Morton, don't mind him, he thinks everyone is on Earth to serve his every whim and is looking for you to scratch his ears. Just nudge him away if he bothers you. So what brings you to my humble abode?" The question was addressed to both the detectives with just a hint of sarcasm which earned her a quick look from Shawn.

Carlton would wonder about what relationship the psychic had to this woman later, it didn't seem like he was cheating on Juliet with whoever this woman was, so he wouldn't need to shoot Shawn right now. Just because he wasn't touchy feely didn't mean he didn't care about his partner's feelings and although he had know idea what Juliet saw in Shawn, the idiot made her happy. The detective could tell that Juliet was a little uneasy meeting a woman who was apparently a friend she knew nothing about and just wanted to get this interview over with.

"A tip came into the station about how Judge Stanton was murder, it was detailed and included the location of a needle injection site our coroner hadn't even found yet. There is no way anyone but the killer could have known that detail, so we came to check it out."

A quick look passed between CJ and Shawn before Shawn stepped slightly in front of his friend and piped up.

"Oh yeah that was me. I mean not the one calling it in, while some have described my scream as girly my regular voice is rather manly and the officer wouldn't have confused me with a woman, at least I hope not. I don't sound like a girl do I and no one told me because they didn't want to hurt my feelings?" Catching the get-to-the-point look from Juliet, the psychic continued, "I had the vision I just had Ceej call it in 'cause I was busy pwning n00bs in the game."

"It's Mario Party," Carlton snorted.

"Yes, Lassie-face. That doesn't mean Peach isn't a n00b who needs a good pwning." Shawn giggled at the unintentional innuendo while the detectives relaxed slightly.

"You had a vision then?" Juliet was a little more at ease, she'd seen Shawn and CJ interact enough to realize she had nothing to worry about, even as she saw that the two were too close of friends to have only met when the woman moved to town less than three weeks ago. Juliet's favorite café was down the street and she'd seen the moving van unloading CJ's stuff while eating a delicious chicken caesar panini.

"Of course I did, I'm the psychic aren't I?" CJ choked on a laugh that made Carlton train a sharp eye on the now blushing friend.

"Sorry, I've known about Shawn's _gift_ for a while but it's still kind of funny to hear him say it aloud," Carlton knew the woman was hiding something now, but Gus and Henry had the same tone in their voices when they talked about the man's supposed gift so he figured he could let it go for now.

"Well, if you are _seeing_ things about this case you are going to have to come down to the station, Chief Vick will want to talk to you," the sneer in his voice when referring to Shawn's gift was reflex at this point. Carlton may not know exactly how the guy did it, but whatever it was solved cases, which was what the Head Detective cared about.

"Shotgun!" Spencer was bouncing on his toes and Lassiter cursed whoever invented energy drinks.

"You can't have shotgun, Juliet gets shotgun because she is my partner and you sit in the back quietly, and stop bouncing." The annoyance laced through his voice did nothing to deter the younger man.

"I can drop you off at the station, I have an errand in town anyway and I can finish telling you about the thing with the goat." CJ grabbed keys as she spoke, herding the detectives and Shawn out of the apartment and locking up behind herself.

Still bouncing, Shawn agreed and walked towards the Ion that was parked in the side lot. "See ya at the station guys!" He waved behind his head in the general direction of the pair as they got in Lassie's car and he got into the passenger side of CJ's.

/

"Thanks for covering for me Shawn, and getting over here so quickly after I called. How'd you do that by the way?" CJ spoke quietly as she buckled herself in and turned the car on. Gone was the happy, smiling woman, the pain from a headache was written across her face and Shawn opened the glovebox to grab her meds.

"I was coming to see if you wanted to play Mario anyway so I was half way here when you called. I'm glad you did, though I'm not sure how I'm going to play it off if Gus and Henry hear about that vision. It was a little more detailed than I normally come up with and they at least know exactly where my 'visions' come from." He relaxed back in the seat, at least as much as he ever did. His shaking leg and fingers tapping out the song that was currently stuck in his head were par for the course with the ever-hyper man.

"You could always pull a 'Shawn,'" CJ offered, smirking.

"What do you mean?" confusion and a bit of annoyance was evident in his tone.

"Talk fast and confuse them. Starting call it that when I met you. I know it doesn't work as well on them but it's worth a shot." She paused and continued in an apologetic tone, "Sorry I didn't think about it before roping you in. I was watching the news when the vision hit and just dialed out of instinct. I'm surprised she could understand me to be honest. You know how scattered I am afterwards normally. Anyway, SBPD already has a psychic so I really didn't feel like dredging up the past when you were a convenient scapegoat."

Shawn had a somber look on his face, "No apologies necessary, I know you hate talking about it, and I know that I could have done more but I walked out when ..."

CJ interrupted, "Not important Shawn, we already went over this when I got to town. I don't blame you for leaving. Maybe for never letting me know you were okay afterwards, but not for leaving."

"I still owe you that bag of skittles."

"Yeah, I think with ten years of interest you owe me at least 3 bags," the smile on her face told Shawn she wasn't lying about forgiving him. Didn't mean he forgave himself, that hadn't been a high point in his life by far.

"I'll get right on that," Shawn laughed with a mischievous look on his face.

"What?"

"Well, it's just funny isn't it? Me, the fake psychic, is pretending to have had the vision the real psychic, you, had but nobody will know the difference because they all think I'm the psychic and you are just the friend who enables my laziness by calling in when I'm two feet from the phone playing video games."

Rolling her eyes CJ responded, "You always were a little too fond of lying. But you actually made a damn good assistant back in the day. I like to think I had something to do this career choice of yours, although I'm not sure that's something to be proud of."

Making a face at his friend Shawn chuckled, "You did, sort of anyway. The psychic thing was a stopgap measure to stay out of jail but then it became a thing and I kind of modeled Psych on your office."

"Yeah. _Psych_?" The look CJ shot him was incredulous and impressed at the same time, "How no one has figured you out I don't know but you're happier than you ever have been and doing a good thing, mostly."

A silence settled over the car before CJ turned to Shawn with a smirk, " So you and the pretty detective huh?" Wiggling her eyebrows in a ridiculous expression she grinned at the blush on her friend's face.

CJ hadn't been sure about Santa Barbara, but she had a feeling taking over the bookstore might have been the best decision she'd made in a while. Well, as long as Shawn was up to being her cover if she got any visions, she just hoped he didn't do any weird motions when pretending to be psychic, she wasn't sure she could keep a straight face.


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** So updates are going to be more like 1 1/2 - 2 weeks apart, but I'm still working on the story. Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed. Reviews are like finding Thin Mints out of Girl Scout Cookie season :D

Chapter 2

When Shawn got to the station, he had to go back over his previous vision to get Henry to give the okay for Psych to join the case. He elaborated a little, using a few more details CJ had given him in the car and added more flair than normal with some crazy wiggling around. Judging by the look on his father's face he was going to have to do some fast talking the next time they were alone to convince him that he hadn't broken into the judge's chambers or snuck down to see the body at some point. Henry knew the limit of Shawn's "gift," and a needle injection the coroner had not found yet was beyond his observational capabilities.

Shawn's annoyance at the inevitable interrogation was forgotten when Lassiter grabbed him by the arm and said in his serious voice, "Judge Hampton was preceding over some important cases, and had a lot of enemies. If you are going to be underfoot you'd better narrow that list down faster than we can or you might as well just stay out of the way." The detective then turned sharply to follow Juliet out to the parking lot.

Gus had come in right as the detective was talking to Shawn so he simply changed directions and followed the psychic out to the parking lot, discussing how in Lassie language the man had practically begged them to come to the scene and help.

"So what's the deal with this vision, were you sneaking around the courthouse again?" Gus carefully backed out of the parking spot, not looking at Shawn until the lack of a quick response made him glance over. The pharmaceutical rep knew that look, "Shawn, that is your I-need-to-come-up-with-a-crazy-lie-fast look. Don't even think about lying to me right now. What is up with you? The last few weeks you've been skipping taco nights and won't tell me where you've been. And don't think I didn't notice you trying to pass off that Wii game as a business expense. Since when do you play Mario Party? Is this a Juliet thing? You promised me that you in a committed relationship wasn't flaky. Thinking about it, I should have known you were lying, since when were you in a committed relationship, and Abigail doesn't count. You two were only in the same city for like a month. So why are you lying to me? Is it me, I know I've had to study for extra presentations recently but that's no reason..."

"Gus, my shiny, chocolate head of magic. It is not you, it's me, in a not junior high relationship way. I'm very sorry I've been skipping taco nights. You, me, and Del Taco tonight, well as long as this case gets solved by then, or we can invite Lassie and Jules. I promise Jules and I will be non-coupley, you know Lassie gets the I-really-want-to-shoot-you-Shawn-Spencer look on his face when Jules and I sit closer than 2 inches in public places. I will explain, not right now though. We are going to go in there and do our thing so we can get paid."

"You know that's right." Gus knew Shawn was attempting to distract him and since they'd arrived at the courthouse it was going to work, for now at least.

\\\\\\\\

Shawn and Gus walked into the office talking about how Lassiter was probably right that the killer was someone related to the judge's cases. Criminals got all snippy when they were indicted for some reason. Gus could tell the moment Shawn changed his mind as the psychic detective zeroed in on the secretary. Quickly noticing her lack of ring and the growing pile of tissues in front of her Shawn went to her and turned on the charm.

Gus preferred to stand back and watch. Taking his eyes off his friend who was well on the way to flirting with the still sniffling secretary, he glanced over at said friend's girlfriend. Juliet was questioning one of the lawyers who had been in the courthouse at the time of the murder. Gus saw her quick little sides glances at Shawn. She looked like she was expecting her paramour to go into a fit, well she thought it was a psychic vision Gus preferred 'fit' like a sick cat would have, at any moment. Lassiter was questioning another lawyer but his body language was tuned to the psychic, he was also awaiting a moment of revelation. The saner half of Psych knew that Lassiter still didn't believe Shawn 'communed with the universe', but had grown to respect what he said because of the results it got.

Shawn had his suspicions while talking to the secretary but needed more concrete proof before he said anything. Some subtle manipulation of the conversation, really he shouldn't be surprised anymore how susceptible people were to suggestion, got the teary-eyed woman to excuse herself to the restroom and the rifling began. The expired hospital ID card and creepy stalker photos that had obviously been taken without the judge's knowledge weren't hidden all that well; the terribly disguised false bottom wouldn't have stymied a first grader. Quickly putting everything back in order Shawn organized his thoughts. Turning around he took a deep breath and prepared to 'channel the spirits' and solve the case. He ambled in the direction of the detectives and grinned to see their attempts not to watch him come closer. He knew they were waiting for him and he couldn't deny his inner only child craved the attention.

Shawn loved any excuse to act crazy and the big reveals were his favorite part. Mostly because they caught the bad guy but a lot because he got to be Lucille Ball on broken roller skates who inappropriately groped the head detective just to see him squirm. When he got to make his girlfriend giggle at his antics it was just icing on the delicious pineapple upside-down cake, or maybe that would be glaze... Speaking of cake, this one was a piece of it, some hip-wiggling and zig zagging movement brought him back to the secretary's desk where he started babbling and let Gus's translation help lead him straight to 'nurse' and 'stalker' before naming the woman in question as the killer.

Lassiter and O'Hara suggested she come if for some routine questioning as soon as got out of the restroom and she agreed with only a hint of hesitation. Gus and Shawn stopped for smoothies on the way back and Buzz let them know as they walked in that the secretary had already cracked. Not a well woman to begin with, when faced with the good cop, bad cop team of Lassiter and O'Hara she broke down and confessed before Lassiter even got past his somewhat-annoyed glare. The woman laid it all out, how she was in love with the judge and he never noticed her, blah blah blah, got some kind of drug that only Gus could pronounce the name of and killed him because if she couldn't have him no one could.

Shawn indulged the itch in the back of his head, trying to figure out how quickly he could pack up his stuff this time. His record was two hours but that was the time he was shacked up in a cheap motel covering a bar tending job for a girl who ended up getting back together with her linebacker boyfriend. Threats of physical harm were always healthy motivators. He considered that he was probably a little off as well, when those kind of memories made him look back with fondness.

The fog of nostalgia lifted with a single half smile from the beautiful blond across the station. That was why this time was different, or part of it at least. Gus had a lot to do with the reason he was seriously considering a three year contract on the Psych office as opposed to the six-months one they had been signing. But Juliet, Juliet was the reason he had been browsing Toyota and Ford websites. It had been a a bit of a cheesy line and he was glad Jules had seen it for what it was, more proof she was the macaroni to his cheesy goodness.

"Hey, any plans for tonight handsome? Some psychic just helped us solve the case quickly so I'm getting out of here early," her smirk got wider when Shawn almost fell in surprise. She could rarely sneak up on the psychic and wasn't above a little gloating. "Graceful."

"Jules you wound me," The puppy dog eyes came out as Shawn dramatically clasped his hands over his heart. He was about to go on and agree to meet up when Gus interrupted.

"Sorry Jules, it Shawn and I's date night tonight." Lassiter had come up behind the junior detective along with Gus and rolled his eyes at the mentions of the duo's man-dates.

Shawn reacted, "Don't be jealous Lassy-face, you too could enjoy the wonderfulness of a bromance if you shed your porcupine exterior and let people nibble on the marshmallow within." Slinging an arm around Gus, Shawn steered them out with a wink in Juliet's direction. "The spirits need tacos, lead on to the Psychmobile."

The detectives could just make out Gus's negative reaction to Shawn's nickname for his company car as the two made their way out of the station.

"Dinner?" Juliet asked hopefully, Lassiter had been making an effort lately to act more like a friend to his partner and she was optimistic about her chances since her boyfriend ditched her for his best friend. Not that she was mad, you could sooner get between the lone ranger and his mask than between Shawn and Gus.

Lassiter's sigh was annoyed enough if it was anyone else it would have meant no. He didn't mind going to dinner with his partner really, he'd actually started to enjoy spending some time outside of work with her as long as she didn't go on and on about Spencer, but he had a reputation to maintain. One look at the slight hurt that flashed across her face had him reconsidering his aloofness.

"Of course I will, O'Hara... Juliet. Just don't tell me anything about you and Spencer, for the love of God I don't need to know." He smiled a little, Rome wasn't built in a day and all that.

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The detectives settled in at the modestly priced but always delicious Italian place they favored for their dinners together. After getting drinks the two settled into their normal banter about the day's case. During a lull before their entrees came out Lassiter cleared his throat. His hand-dog expression clued Juliet into what he was about to say.

She held up a hand, "No, I didn't know about that woman before we ran into Shawn at her apartment. No, I am not worried he's cheating. Yes, I am annoyed he hasn't offered an explanation, but she seems to be from his past and even you know how he hates talking about anything that happened before he came back to Santa Barbara. No, you don't get to shoot him... yet."

Lassiter's cough covered up his embarrassment at being read so well by his partner. As his face flushed, she took pity on him.

"But thanks, you know, for being protective. I appreciate it Carlton, I really do." Her smile was genuine and the use of his first name put him back on an even keel.

"Well, anyway, have you tried that new bar that opened up on Summit?" The change of topic was unsubtle, even for the head detective but Juliet went along with him. None of the men in her life seemed to be able to articulate their emotions, why should her partner be any different?

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Across town Shaw was getting the feeling he should have tried harder to leave with Juliet. Gus was jabbering away about something pharmaceutical in a slightly frantic tone of voice and wouldn't let Shawn get a word in edgewise. This meant one of two things and Gus would just pull over if he had to pee really badly so Shawn was going with he was trying to hide something. Just when he was going to interrupt, he came to a horrifying conclusion.

"This is the way to Henry's house," the betrayal in his voice made Gus flinch.

"Sorry Shawn. Henry texted me," Shawn's snort of disbelief was ignored as Gus continued. "As I was saying, Henry texted me asking if I knew when you'd be sneaking around the courthouse. I told him you'd been with me that morning and apparently you were with a woman named CJ this afternoon. The Mario Party lover, I presume? Who is she, how do you know her, why didn't you tell me about her? Never mind you can answer that when we get to your dad's, along with how the hell you knew the judge had been injected. You're not really psychic are you?" Gus had always been a believer in the paranormal and his sideways glance was almost hopeful.

"Oh, you're letting me talk now?" Shawn bit back further sarcasm when he realized Gus was genuinely upset with him for hiding CJ. "Ok, look I'm sorry, I'll explain everything, but not at Henry's. Del Taco?" The tinge of desperation in his voice was a little embarrassing, but this was Gus.

"Sorry Shawn, not this time. Henry is a lot scarier than you, and don't pull the friend rules about not betraying you to your dad because really, I have been worried."

The car pulled up to Henry's and the man was standing in the doorway scowl already firmly in place.

"This is going to be fun... not," Shawn glared at Gus even though he knew he'd brought this on himself by being shifty about his friend. CJ was going to owe him smoothies for life for this.


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **I graduated and moved to another country and I've finally got back to this story, so if there's anyone left glad you're still reading :)

When Henry simply opened the door and walked into the living room without saying a single word, Shawn knew he was in trouble. Not that he thought he was going to get out of this easily, but Henry was beyond mad at this point. While there was no way Shawn was going to betray CJ's trust by outing her gift, he wasn't sure how he was going to be able to tap dance around the stupid injection in the back of the neck detail.

Cursing under his breath Shawn followed his father, not looking Gus in the eye so he could avoid the betrayed look he knew was there. He wanted to blame CJ for this, it seems his worst side always came out when she was around, but he knew it was his own fault for not handling the situation better. He didn't have to lie to Gus, if his friend hadn't been so worried it would never have gotten to this point with Henry, but CJ was a part of his past and Shawn was self-aware enough to realize that he was trying to keep her there, impossible at this point. He should have known it wasn't going to be easy after the conversation the two had when he realized she was in Santa Barbara.

\\\\\\\\

_He'd been happily sipping a pineapple smoothie Gus' credit card had paid for, that's what his friend got for leaving him alone to study boring old drugs, when he saw the moving van pull away from the bookstore he went to occasionally. Not a big reader, he'd only chatted with the owner a few times, but he remembered that she had been a former nanny who was eager to make enough money to retire closer to her grandkids, guess that had happened. _

_Curious he crossed the street and noted the small changes to the store's appearance the new owner had made. The landscaping had been altered subtly, brightly colored flowers had been replaced by daisies and small bushes, the porch had been repainted a clean white and the door was now a dark green. Formerly known simply as the 'Bookstore,' it had been cheekily renamed 'Turn My Page.' Shawn snorted at that before walking up the steps. He heard a woman's voice thanking someone for their purchase, the cashier then, and stepped to the side to avoid being hit by the customer leaving. _

_Stepping inside he noticed he was the only customer before looking for the cashier. He saw a head disappearing behind a large shelf as a familiar voice rang out._

Welcome to Turn My Page, if you need help just ask.

_His stomach dropped to his feet, or at least that's how it felt when he heard her voice. It couldn't be, but he didn't make mistakes and he knew that voice. His voice cracked over his old friend's, if he still deserved to be able to call her that, name._

CJ?

_The sound of books being dropped and a few colorful phrases were all Shawn got in reply. Then he heard the sound of someone sucking in air, like they were going to cry. He quickly maneuvered around the shelves until he saw her. Pale and shaking, his first thought was that she'd had a vision, and then he realized he'd done this to her. Racking his memory he tried to think if he had ever told the psychic where he was from, she picked out details from his background but not the name of the town. Never one to discuss the past, he preferred to live in the moment, he knew CJ hadn't realized she just bought property in his hometown. It was a testament to how much he had grown in his time back that he immediately wanted to make this right, to have CJ around again, as his friend again, instead of running out the door. _

_Stepping forward, he saw her flinch and cursed himself._

CJ, I can't believe it's you. How... How are you?

_His voice was squeaky and he winced at how stupid that was. Ten years of no contact and that's the question he starts with, stupid brain failing in times of emotional stress. _

Why do you care?

_Color flushed the woman's cheeks and the question felt a little too much like a slap to the face. CJ had always been the master of saying something innocuous while letting the other person know it really meant fuck you. This was Shawn's first time on this side of that anger and he suddenly felt a bit of pity for the people he had seen cut down by her biting politeness. It was time to face the music and not fun polka music. _

_Shawn stood up straighter walking slowly closer to the tense woman. _

I deserved that, and anything else you can throw at me. I probably deserve things literally thrown at me, but you like books too much to actually toss them at me... I hope.

_He threw up his hands in an exaggerated manner and was rewarded with an all too brief half-smile from the psychic. Encouraged, he continued. _

And I know you have no reason to believe me, but I am not the same person I was then. Not by a long shot. I have a job, and friends, and a girlfriend and I'm thinking about signing a lease for longer than a year and...

_CJ raised a hand cutting off his words. She gave him a searching look, nodded once and went to turn the sign on the door from 'open' to 'closed.' Her body language relaxed out of its angry stiffness as she motioned him towards the rear of the store. Shawn followed her as she led the way upstairs to the back office and shook his head to decline her offer of tea. Inside he was jumping up and down, well more than normally, at the fact she hadn't kicked him out on his ass. She had every right to, he knew that. _

I have every reason to believe you, and I'd appreciate it if you'd relax a little, your aura's giving me a headache you're so tense.

_Smirking, she added, _Or did you forget I'm the psychic here.

_Shawn had forgotten, not entirely but he wasn't thinking about auras. Then he realized she'd been a bit heavy on emphasizing that she was the psychic. Stunned he noticed what was obviously his Psych office key in her hand. She tossed it back to him as he matched her smirk with one of his own. He wondered what all she managed to read off a possession that practically lived in his pockets. _

Thief.

Yeah, well those pick-pocketing skills you taught me have come in handy a few times. It's weird you know, I see you and you're the same but so vastly different it's hard to wrap my head around. You've grown up, well as much as you're capable of. Love suits you. And don't deny it, I see it sparking around you, Juliet is her name. I hope she keeps you in line. Gus and Henry as well. You even love the detective you've nicknamed after a dog, not like that obviously, although I think you'd make a cute couple.

_Shawn snorts as he tries to picture him and Lassie together, hmmm not terrible. But the Irish cop was no Juliet and her blond hair and sparkling smiles were better than pineapple smoothies to him these days. CJ rolled her eyes at the thoughts she knew had to be going through his head._

You've got ties here Shawn, strong ties. That's something to proud of, don't scoff, being able to do a runner in under two hours isn't something to be proud of.

I know, I still get that itch sometimes, but then Gus gives me that look, his I-can't-believe-you're-still-here look, or Jules just... Jules just is there.

I'm happy for you Shawn, I am. That reaction I had when I realized it was you? It was because I wasn't even sure you were still alive. You never even called to let me know... I'm sorry, I just didn't expect to see... We can't just go back to being buddy buddy Shawn, as much as I'd like to forget, hell I practically gave you the last shove, but you still jumped on the bike when you knew what I was going through. You still left.

_Shawn grimaced, shame flashing across his face. _

I always wondered if you knew what I was thinking, if you were letting me go on purpose.

I did. I couldn't help but know, even you couldn't hide the fear at the thought of going through it again. I know it's not, um, pleasant to deal with me, with what I go through, and you couldn't know at the time but that case was going to be so much worse than the little boy. You weren't ready, it would have ripped you apart if you'd been there.

_Emotion made the woman's voice crack, the pain of that case, of what she'd felt during it seeped through. Shawn leaned forward, not wanting to reach out for fear of seeing her flinch again. _

I could have...

_CJ interrupted. _

No, you couldn't. I knew that when I asked you to grab skittles. I know that I let you, made you leave, but that doesn't mean it didn't hurt.

I am sorry. I will do whatever it takes to earn the right to be your friend again, if you'll let me.

_Shawn was on the edge of his seat leaning in towards the woman, his hands clasped tightly so he didn't yank her into a hug. CJ hadn't been much for casual physical touching, it had to do with what she could read with a simple touch, but a decade ago he'd broken down her walls enough to get the occasional hug and it hurt to know it probably wouldn't be welcome now. _

_CJ gave him a long look and found something worth trusting in whatever she saw, she gave a short nod and surprising the fake psychic, pulled him in for a hug. _

I am happy to get the chance get to know you again Shawn, but you still owe me skittles.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Shawn snapped out of the memory to find the concerned and slightly annoyed looks of both Gus and Henry on him. Apparently, he had zoned out a bit, oops. Taking a deep breath he tried to keep all I'm-about-to-tell-a-ginormous-lie looks off his face when he was interrupted by a text message.

**Just tell them doofus, not even you can lie well enough to cover this up. They've kept your secret so I hope I can trust them to keep mine. I'll be over in 10. **

Shawn decided to be the bigger person and ignore the doofus comment. He looked up from his phone and started to speak.

"It started about ten years ago, with what I thought was an easy assistant job to another phony psychic chick..."


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** 2nd chapter up in one day. That's a first!

Of course Henry and Gus were skeptical, Shawn knew it wouldn't be that easy, but they weren't completely disregarding what he was saying, which is more than he could hope for. Where the hell was CJ?

"Seriously Shawn, can you expect us to take 'I'm friends with a real psychic' at face value? If you were snooping around the courthouse it's fine you can tell me."

Henry's face was turning a bit purple, he should really watch his blood pressure, Shawn thought before sighing in exasperation.

"When could I have snooped? There was no snooping time built into today's schedule, all snooping is scheduled for next week so try and be out of your house on Thursday okay."

Gus jumped in before Henry committed Shawnicide.

"Come on Shawn," he was interrupted by the sound of the door opening and a woman's voice reached the living room.

"Um, Shawn? Are you here?"

CJ walked into the tense scene that was a little too reminiscent of an interrogation, _at least Shawn isn't tied down_.

"Hello, I'm the psychic. Nice to meet you."

Gus's eyes widen as he recognized the new owner of the bookstore. He'd been in several times for books, definitely just for books and not because the cashier, Lily, was a fine, fine woman that he was trying to get up the courage to ask out.

"Wait, you're the psychic? But you own a bookstore, and you just moved here."

CJ rolled her eyes, this is why she never told anyone, it was annoying to have to prove it but she always took a bit of joy in shocking people so there was a silver lining.

"Being psychic means I can't own a bookstore, says who? Oh and Lily thinks you're a hottie and minored in chemistry in college. She likes foreign films and smoothies, putt putt would be a great first date. If I give you her number can you just accept I'm psychic? The whole tell me what card I'm thinking of rigamarole is so passé."

While Gus was gaping at her comments and frantically trying to remember the name of the indie movie theater that showed lots of films with subtitles, Henry was giving her the cop stare.

"Henry, last week you spilled mustard all over the kitchen floor and brought the neighbors dog in to clean it up because you didn't want to miss the game, you went fishing yesterday morning and caught two fish which you grilled for lunch, you still have all of Shawn's report cards in the attic and he got 'talks too much in class' on almost every single one. Do I pass muster?"

The sarcasm dripped from her voice and Henry had the good grace to look a bit cowed. Shawn just laughed as had already noticed her run a finger down the wall when she can through the hall. They'd had a few chats in the last few weeks about how much better control she had over her gift now. Apparently psychic-ness can be trained like a muscle and CJ was a lot better about filtering the information she got from objects she touched now. Ten years ago she'd had several pairs of gloves she donned when she wanted to shut the world out and now she didn't seem to need them. Shawn was glad, as a tactile person he couldn't imagine the craziness of visions from every surface or object he pressed a hand to during the day.

"Henry, Gus, you realize you can't tell anyone this right? In the past CJ's had to go to the police and they always, always arrest her right off. She has a little black book of people the police call and then they uncuff her and listen to what she has to say. But now, she doesn't need that. The Santa Barbara police already believe I'm psychic so if she has any more visions she can just tell me and I'll do my thing with no one the wiser. She deserves a normal life and I owe it to her to help out."

Gus and Henry saw how serious Shawn was and they both nodded before returning to stare at CJ. Shawn could practically see the questions they wanted to ask swimming behind their eyes and moved to intercept.

"How about CJ gives Gus her lovely assistant's number and then we all go out for some pineapple smoothies? No, torturing the psychic with questions, just some nice, happy frozen drinks and lots of silence, or non-psychic related questions, I'm good with both."

"It's okay Shawn, I'd love a pineapple smoothie but I think I can handle a few questions..."

The questions burst out of Gus so quickly it was obvious he'd been holding them back with a lot of effort.

"What all can you see? Do auras really exist? How long have you been psychic? What do you know about me? Can you tell if Lily and I will get married and have adorable half-black babies? Why did you move to Santa Barbara, did the spirits call you? Ooh can you talk to spirits? If so can you ask my Granny how she's doing?"

CJ laughed brightly at the stream of queries, "Ok, new plan. Gus and I grab smoothies so I can answer his questions, Shawn goes and finds his girlfriend and Henry gets a beer and watches TV like he's been wanting to do since I got here. Sounds good? Go team go."

The three younger adults left so Gus could drop Shawn at Juliet's and continue the interrogation. Henry stood on the porch watching and shook his head when he heard Gus squeal like a little girl when CJ mentioned something about psychometry.

"Kids these days, then again when did I get so calm about finding out psychics are real?"

He cracked a beer and put his feet up to watch Wheel of Fortune, thinking about the fact his son was apparently growing up, and also defrauding the SBPD even more.

"This is going to be fun to explain if the shit ever hits the fan."

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Shawn relaxed in the back seat as Gus did his nerdy question thing at CJ, asking all about ranges and images and strength and what have you. He was half listening to the conversation to see what was different since he'd seen the psychic last, but his mind was trying to come up with what he was going to tell Juliet. He hadn't purposefully hidden CJ, not for any nefarious reason anyway, but he knew now that CJ had pointed it out that not telling your girlfriend you're spending time with a female friend you have some kind of history with was not such a good idea. He really didn't want to screw things up but being in a relationship was definitely not one of his strong points.

He smirked a bit when CJ gave him a save-me smile as he got out of the car in front of Juliet's. She offered to answer Gus' questions, as a psychic she should have known better.

Ringing the bell he plastered a smile on his face and prepared to do the thing he normally tried to avoid, tell the truth.

"Hey Jules, how was dinner with Lassieface? He tired of threatening to shoot me yet?"

A quick peck on the cheek and Jules laughed, "Never, and dinner was fine, good even. Although every male in my life except Buzz is emotionally constipated."

A quick little glare told Shawn to start explaining, now.

"CJ is just a friend."

"I know Shawn, what I don't know is why you didn't tell me an old friend moved into town. Why the secrecy? If you used to date I don't care, I just want you to be honest with me."

The maturing side of Shawn winced a bit knowing he couldn't be truly honest with her unless he wanted to end up in a jail cell for fraud, but she deserved most of the truth about CJ.

"I'm sorry. I didn't actually know she was in town until I ran into her in the bookstore. We were just friends ten years ago, but it didn't end well. This doesn't make sound so good, but I kind of left her when she really needed a friend so we didn't stay in touch. I didn't tell you because I ... well I don't like to talk about my past and bailing on a friend when the going gets tough doesn't impress people. And I always want to impress you Jules. She actually wants to get together for lunch sometime and meet the woman who 'somehow puts up with me,' she suggested the cafe down the street from the bookstore, apparently they make the best chicken caesar paninis."

He was thinking of pulling out the big innocent eyed look when Jules planted a kiss on his lips and derailed his train of thought.

"You're lucky I'm used to dealing with idiots, I accept your apology and I would love to meet your friend. Now I'm assuming you don't have any video game plans tonight, because I have something else in mind."

They both laughed into the kisses that grew more heated as they stumbled toward the bedroom.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Lassiter threw the leftovers from the restaurant in the fridge and grabbed a beer before settling down at his computer. Many might call him a paranoid man, but his paranoia had served him well in his years as a cop and it was telling him something was up with that CJ woman. She had looked like a decent enough human being, _she had a nice smile_, but there was a niggling feeling in the back of his head that she was hiding something.

As he brought up a search engine, Carlton realized he didn't even know the woman's last name, or first name for that reason. Who kept initials as a name past the age of 30? Snorting at his lack of preparation he resorted to trying to pull up a website for the bookstore. He had to admit the name made him laugh, even as he got frustrated when the otherwise user friendly website had absolutely no information on it's owner.

He admitted defeat for the night and figured he would just look her up using the police's database tomorrow. It wasn't misuse of resources in any way because they needed to know who their star "psychic" was associating with. Snorting at the moniker even in his head, the detective got ready for bed trying to shake the feeling of unease he had over Shawn's dealings with the bookstore owner. He only hoped it wouldn't come crashing down in a big way on the man's head, Jules would be useless for weeks if something happened to her boyfriend.


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** This is a little fluffy, I think the big case is going to start next chapter. Actually, I know it will start next chapter. For now, enjoy.

CJ and Shawn were in a corner of "Turn My Page" trying and failing to keep from cracking up at the strange mating dance that Gus and Lily were taking part in. It had been two weeks since Shawn outed CJ to Gus and Henry and ten days since Gus and Lily's successful first date. She had kicked his ass at putt putt and he'd fallen in love.

Shawn was even keeping the teasing down to a minimum, or trying to, as they really were a pretty adorable couple. CJ had taken to hiding in the backroom doing inventory to escape from more stories about how handsome and smart and adorable Gus was. She didn't regret introducing the two because Lily was happier than ever but CJ was seriously considering banning Gus from the store. The psychic wasn't sure she could handle her assistant if this was how she acted after less than two weeks with Gus.

"I swear she becomes absolutely useless when he comes in, she's a smart girl and he turns her into a babbling monkey," At Shawn's pointed look CJ snarked, "Not jealous, just trying to run a business here."

Shawn snorted and went to ask about a book he'd picked up to distract her from her annoyance at her employee but he was too late.

"Doesn't he have a real job?" she asked, exasperated as she ran to help a customer Lily hadn't seen through her haze of new found love. Shawn followed at a more leisurely pace before shouting back.

"I'm offended at the implication that Psych is not a real job."

"No you're not, you still can't believe you get paid for it." She wasn't above sticking her tongue out at her friend before turning and cheerfully helping the customer find a book for her niece's graduation.

Shawn smiled, thinking that CJ's arrival was one of the best things to happen this year, possibly even better than finding that street cart that sold pineapple churros. Juliet and CJ got along better than he could have hoped and Gus having a girlfriend meant he didn't get that kicked-puppy look when Shawn and Juliet went out without him. There were already rumblings of a double date in the future as Lily and Juliet had also become friends. Shawn wasn't sure how he felt about something so couple-y but Juliet kept bringing him pineapple smoothies whenever she mentioned it, it seems CJ had clued her in to Shawn's susceptibility to operant conditioning.

Speaking of Juliet it had been too long since they had a case, and by too long he meant a week. They'd helped with some break-ins last week as well as several cases that came to the Psych office, the bunny napping had been particularly upsetting but they'd gotten the poor thing back to it's owners and an invite to come over anytime to play with Chester. CJ had pointed out they didn't really mean "anytime" but Shawn and Gus were still happy about the perk. This week though, had been suspiciously quiet, and by suspiciously he meant boring-ly.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Lassiter hadn't given up his search for more information about the psychic's new friend, who was an old friend, whatever. It took almost a week to track down the paperwork for the bookstore, it would have been less if the idiot criminals in Santa Barbara had been slightly less idiotic. A group of stupid high schoolers kept breaking into friends houses in some weird social ritual thing. Lassiter made one of them cry though, so that was a good bonus.

Once he got the store's deed though, the paperwork was less helpful than he thought. He found out the woman's last name was Stone, but her first name was listed as CJ, _seriously__initials?_ Luckily, this week had been fairly calm crime wise and he'd had time to run the name through every database the SBPD had access to. Unluckily, he hadn't come up with much. No one even close to matching her description. The head detective had been frustrated and had thought about giving up, but that odd niggling in the back of his head told him she was hiding something. Eventually, Lassiter had managed to track down an old friend in the FBI who owed him a favor. He sent off a quick email and cursed under his breath when he immediately got an out-of-office reply telling him James was going to be gone for the next two weeks.

Sighing he stood up and went to find Juliet, she had mentioned something about grabbing dinner after their shift and eating with his sometimes annoyingly cheerful partner was better than the alternative, him and his couch. He snorted, wondering when he turned soft.

"Carlton, there you are. Are you still interested in dinner tonight? Gus, Lily, Shawn, CJ and I are going to that new Italian place."

"Fratelli's? I thought it was impossible to get a reservation. Buzz and his wife have been on a list for a month." Lassiter got a strange look on his face. "Why do I know that?"

"Because you are finally becoming a real boy, Carlton. And yeah, Shawn did a favor or something for the owner's son so we have an in. The cannolis are to die for according to the review in the paper. It'll be fun."

"I think our definitions of fun are different." Hurt flashed across Juliet's face and Lassiter's resolve crumbled. "Oh fine, I guess I can stand it for one night." His half-smile seemed to placate her and her sunny smile returned.

"Great. Meet you at the restaurant at 7."

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

CJ arrived first to the restaurant and sighed, wondering why she expected Shawn's punctuality to have changed in the last ten years. She fidgeted in her dark green dress, the evite she'd gotten, _must__be__from__Gus_, had requested formal wear for some reason. She rubbed a finger along her phone, feeling the stirrings of a reading coming through. A car alarm startled her and she lost the thread of thoughts coming through the phone. Shrugging she figured she'd find out when the others showed up, if they ever did. _The__curse__of__a__perpetually__punctual__person._

"CJ, we are here, on time, or close to on time. Shawn time if you will." The fake psychic was half running, dragging poor Juliet down the sidewalk in heels. The blonde was laughing so it was obvious she wasn't too upset. Actually, from the hint of dishevelment in her hair CJ knew exactly why they were running late. _Don__'__t__need__to__be__psychic__to__know__what__they__were__doing._

"It's fine Shawn, Gus and Lily haven't showed up either." CJ smiled at the couple. "Love your dress Juliet. Where'd you get it?"

"That boutique that just opened up on 7th. Great deals, we should check it out." Shawn's eye roll was practically audible, "Have you seen Lassiter? He's never late and he promised he was coming tonight."

CJ tensed slightly, too aware that it probably caught Shawn's attention. She'd had some… interesting readings off the detective that day they came to her apartment. She knew he was curious about who she was and had a feeling he wasn't going to let it rest, but something else was there under that threat of disclosure, she just couldn't figure out what. Perhaps tonight she could accidentally brush up against him, in the last few years she'd perfected hit-and-run readings as she liked to call them.

"No, I haven't seen him, but I wasn't looking for him. Several people are inside so he could have already gone in."

Juliet frowned a little, "I'll go check, you two wait out here for Gus and Lily."

Shawn was quite obviously appreciating the view of his girlfriend walking away in the new dress when the real psychic chimed in.

"She's going to kick Lassie's ass if he doesn't show isn't she?"

"Oh, no doubt. That's my woman. On a mission to get Mr. Grumpy Pants a social life, whether he wants one or not." Shawn's glance in CJ's direction spelt trouble. "So what do you think about our illustrious Head Detective and his dashing Irish looks?"

The brunette woman crossed her arms and glared at her friend, "I'm thinking that he knows I'm hiding something and is trying to figure it out. Always an annoying trait in a man, and if you think for one second I'm going to get caught up in your girlfriend's weird matchmaking plan you have another think coming mister."

Shawn's hands flew up in a defensive gesture, "Who said anything about matchmaking? I just wanted to get your opinion on a friend."

CJ quite deliberately pointed at herself and enunciated every syllable, "Psy-chic. Me. I'm the psychic."

"So you're getting matchmaking vibes between you and Lassie-face, awww that's nice to know. I'll pass that onto Juliet, except you know, I'll have the psychic vibes." Shawn danced out of the way of his friend's clutch moments before she attempted to smack him in the head with it. "You could do worse you know. He's a good man."

The raw honesty in Shawn's last statement is the only thing that stopped CJ from continuing to try and smack him. Shawn's earnest desire to see his friend's happy rippled in bright blue waves across his aura.

"I'm fine Shawn. Not lonely at all, especially with you running around my life again, but thank you for your concern."

She lightly touched his arm, hoping he believed her. His guilt over ditching her a decade ago was translating into helicopter-mom type hovering now.

"We're here, we're here. Sorry we got held up, traffic was terrible coming from Lily's." Gus was slightly out of breath as he half-ran, dragging Lily behind him as she tried to keep up in 3 inch heels. CJ shook her head at the similarities between the best friends before going to greet her friend/employee.

The group headed inside where they found Juliet and Lassiter engaged in a slightly heated conversation that stopped the moment they spotted their friends.

"Hi guys, our table is ready now." Juliet's cheer was a little forced and CJ frowned opening herself up to the feelings in the room and dragging a finger along a nearby table. Shawn saw her movement and "accidentally" tripped a little bit knocking into her and interrupting her concentration. He whispered in her ear as he righted himself.

"None of that now, give the non-psychics a break and don't peek okay?"

CJ snorted a little but pulled her walls back up and followed the group to the table. They were seated at one of those weird semi-circle booths and she ended up between Shawn and Lassiter due to what she was pretty sure was masterful tactics on the part of the blonde detective. Juliet's self-satisfied smile confirmed her earlier fears that the woman was trying her hand at being the gentile's version of Yenta.

Lassiter was doing his best not to come even close to touching her, an impressive feat considering the booth really wasn't meant for more than 4 or 5 adults and the head detective was on the end. CJ sighed a little, she hadn't really thought about the man like that but it was a bit depressing he couldn't stand any physical contact. It didn't help that he flinched away from her when she leaned forward to grab her water glass. _This__is__going__to__be__a__loooonnnnnggggg__dinner,_she thought before she had an idea. Shawn had said no peeking but she didn't think that applied to auras, she turned slightly toward the detective in the booth and pulled up her gift.

CJ immediately snapped her eyes shut and blindly reached out for her water, starting a little as a hand that was definitely not Shawn's guided hers to her water. Blinking slowly to try and clear her vision she looked straight up into Lassiter's blue, blue eyes. Smiling weakly she thanked him and furiously clamped down on any trace of her gift as his arm brushed hers when she sipped her water.

"Must have got something in my eye," she mumbled pathetically, trying to process what she'd seen.

Aura reading wasn't a science by any means, but a lifetime of practice had given her a good instinct about how to make sense of the colored light show that sometimes flashed around others. There were a few basics, the brighter the aura the better the person but there was a lot left open for interpretation. Lassiter's aura was rather straightforward, and shockingly bright although CJ inwardly smacked herself for assuming it wouldn't be. Shawn wouldn't be friends with someone inherently bad. For all Lassiter's faults, his genuine desire to help people and be a good cop shown through, almost concealing the black streak of insecurity and pain his ex-wife had left him with.

_Interesting,_was CJ's most coherent thought. Lassiter's aura was almost as bright as Juliet and Gus's, about as bright as Shawn's actually. The fake psychic's aura was not dim by any means but not the cheerful sunny colors of his best friend and girlfriend's.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Shawn dramatically tapped his glass with a knife, drawing the attention of more than just their table.

"I, have an announcement."

_A__Shakespeare__actor__was__less__dramatic__than__Shawn__at__this__moment_, CJ thought with a smile. _I__bet__this__is__why__I__had__to__wear__a__dress._

"Does it have anything to do with the request for formal wear?"

That question came from Gus and told CJ that Shawn had actually bothered to send the evites himself, which meant this was important.

The man in question shifted slightly in his seat to face Juliet and proudly proclaimed, "The fair Juliet has agreed to move in with me, or well… for me to move in with her… because I live in a dry cleaners and that's not that great for a couple and…"

His girlfriend mercifully stepped in and saved him from his rambling, "Yes, the move-in date is next weekend and you've all been kind enough to volunteer to help. Thank you so much."

Good natured laughter followed her announcement of their conscription and congratulations came from every direction. Lassiter leaned in to congratulate his partner and send a threatening glare towards Shawn before righting himself. His posture was more relaxed after the news and he stopped holding himself so tightly which led to his leg pressing against CJ's in an oddly distracting fashion.

_What__the__hell__is__wrong__with__me?_ The woman couldn't help but notice how the smile on the head detective's face made him look younger, and she definitely was not paying attention to the way he looked in one of his nicer suits. He'd obviously taken the invitations request for formal wear seriously and had actually changed before coming to the restaurant.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, the psychic spared a moment of wonder that her commitment phobic friend was willingly moving in with his significant other, a huge step in any relationship. She allowed herself another glimpse and smiled brightly at the way the couple's auras blended seamlessly together.

When Juliet was distracted by a conversation with Lily and Gus, CJ took a minute to gently mock her friend.

"You won't go on a double date but moving in together is totally awesome?"

Shawn laughed, "I know. Juliet said the same thing. I am an enigma wrapped in a twinkie, no one understands me."

"Well, whatever you are, I'm happy for you, and this next statement is in no way a comment on your recent announcement." CJ smirked and then announced to the table, "I need a drink."

CJ laughed at the mini-glare on Shawn's face and turned to catch a waiter's eye. Lassiter noticed her action and flagged a waiter who was passing. Drinks were ordered for the table and food orders were sent to the kitchen. The group chatted lightly before the two couples got caught up in discussing some town gossip Lily had heard and Juliet corroborated, CJ was pretty sure Shawn couldn't care less about but he seemed to purposely be forcing her to talk to the remaining member of the group.

Sighing lightly she tried to draw the head detective, who had been looking a little wistful since Juliet's announcement, into conversation.

"So Detective, have you lived in Santa Barbara long?" _an__innocuous__question__couldn__'__t__hurt__right?,_ thought CJ.

"Long enough." The gruff response and his failure to make anything close to eye contact convinced CJ this was a losing battle. She scanned the restaurant praying the waiter with her cocktail would arrive soon.

The man beside her fidgeted, his shoulders slumping before he spoke, "uh, How do you like it here? Everything, okay?"

_It__sounds__like__it__'__s__physically__hurting__him__to__make__small__talk._The thought almost made CJ smile but she clamped down on it, afraid he would see it as her mocking him.

"Yeah, I was on the East Coast before coming here. It's definitely a change, but I love the location and the bookstore is perfect. I think I'll probably stick around a while."

"That's good, Shawn seems happy to have you around." The pause and fidgeting clued CJ in to the fact this next question wasn't going to be small talk anymore. "So how did you and Shawn meet? I don't think Juliet ever said."

CJ frowned and masked turning away from the man by reaching for her drink and taking a healthy gulp. "We are old friends. Met ten years ago when I was doing pretty much the same thing, he was my assistant." Her voice was sharp and snappish and she saw Lassiter recoil slightly. It was close enough to the truth she didn't feel too guilty and frankly she wasn't inclined to be polite to the man she just realized was running a background check on her. Alcohol tended to disrupt her ability to not read things psychically and a flash of him typing her name into a search engine seared itself on her brain.

The detective's mouth opened, to make an apology or ask another annoying question she wasn't sure and didn't wait to find out.

"So Gus, I heard you have a big presentation next week. How's the prep work going?"

Gus was happy to expound on the wonders of the new drug he was pushing and CJ just had to smile and nod in the right places. Ignoring the waves of anxiety and a little bit of hurt coming from behind her was harder. That martini was stronger than she realized and she was having more trouble than usual blocking people out.

Luckily, as if the waiter was the psychic one, their food arrived and the group dug in. The only sounds were slightly inappropriate moans of pleasure, Fratelli's reputation was well deserved. The lull in conversation didn't last as long as it should have, and both Lily and Juliet had to point out to their respective partners that mouthfuls of food were in no way sexy. CJ giggled a little at the matching expressions of chagrin on the best friends' faces. Her hilarity was interrupted by a hesitant touch to her leg, and she turned to face the detective once again.

"I… apologize if my question was, um, rude. Can we begin again?" Lassiter was obviously troubled at her cold reaction and CJ could have kicked herself when she realized her rudeness was an appropriate response only if she knew that he was doing a background check and there was no way that he knew that she knew that. _That__'__s__confusing__even__in__my__head._

"I'm sorry, I just don't like to talk about my past. Clean slate?" She offered her hand to the man and he took it and gently shook her hand as he nodded. The genuine smile on his face caused her to melt a little, after all she was hiding something it wasn't like he was wrong to be suspicious.

The conversation the rest of the night was light-hearted and showed that the majority of the group knew each other a little too well. Funny case anecdotes and some childhood adventures were recounted to the amusement of the group. Cannolis were enjoyed and the check was fought over, with the men winning that argument.

The group was gathered outside, obviously not wanting the fun evening to end but it was getting late.

Gus and Lily said their goodbyes, trying to be sneaky about the fact they'd come in the same car.

"They know they've only been dating like ten days right?" CJ joked, before saying her own goodbyes and pulling out her phone to call a cab.

"What's wrong with your car?" Shawn's attention to detail was sometimes rather annoying.

"It's in the shop, something to do with some part or other. I'm half convinced they're making new words up every time they call to tell me they need more time. I got a cab out here."

Some silent conversation between Shawn and his girlfriend involving a lot of eyebrow movements later, Juliet offered CJ a ride.

"Oh no you're in the opposite direction from me, really a cab is not a big deal at all."

"I can drive you, it's on my way." The surprised look on Lassiter's face made it obvious he'd offered before thinking.

CJ accepted without protest, she really hated cabs and figured she could manage to avoid awkward questions for the 20 minute drive.

"Thank you. Goodnight Shawn, Juliet."

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The detective and the psychic, _we__sound__like__a__strange__TV__show_, walked to his car in a strangely comfortable silence. Lassiter opened the door for CJ and she tried not to read too much into it.

The car ride to CJ's apartment consisted of somewhat stilted conversation until they realized they shared an interest in a certain mystery author's book series. A heated discussion of which book was the best and what might happen next made the last half of the drive something approaching pleasant.

They pulled up at the bookstore and CJ thanked Lassiter before scurrying upstairs and flopping down on her couch, after locking her door of course. Her phone beeped a few minutes later and she looked at the new message.

Lassie and CJ sittin' in a tree. –Shawn

Her reply was short and sweet before she shut off her phone and tried to get to sleep, ignoring the images of a smiling head detective her traitorous brain kept supplying.

Bite me. – CJ


	7. Chapter 6

The first few days of the next week were quite busy for the crime fighting members of the group. A series of kidnappings and murders had made their way down the coast and the most recent one had fallen into the SBPD's jurisdiction. Three women who had been on a road trip to Mexico were reported missing when their abandoned car was found at the side of the road. Shawn's readings caught a few details the other city's PD's had missed and on Wednesday they managed to identify the three men responsible, but were still clueless as to their location, and that of the missing women.

Shawn scratched the back of his neck in one of those this-is-awkward gestures he normally tried to avoid. He was standing on CJ's doorstep, having heard from Lily that his friend was up here on her lunch break. The faux-psychic had slipped away from Gus and the detectives after over-hearing a whispered conversation between Juliet and Lassiter about the fact they had a little less than 4 hours before the women were murdered if the kidnappers stuck to their normal MO.

The police department was scrambling but background checks on the criminals showed no obvious properties they could be hiding at. The tension in the air as the deadline drew nearer made Shawn antsy and he figured CJ might be angry at him for forcing the situation, but she'd be livid if the women died because he didn't have her try to read anything.

To Shawn's surprise, on the way out the back door of the station Henry had stopped him. The younger man had flinched knowing time was short and not wanting to hear the lecture he was sure to get. His father surprised him though, by handing him a photo of the three women that Shawn was sure had been clipped into the official file the last time he got a peek. The older man just looked at Shawn and nodded his head in the direction of Shawn's bike, a half-smile of disbelief on his face, as if he couldn't process the fact he was giving his fake-psychic son evidence to take to his real psychic friend. Overall, Henry had been coping better than expected with the reveal of CJ's gift but the shock in Shawn's eyes showed he hadn't expected his normally by-the-book father to encourage him in his subterfuge.

The sound of a lock disengaging startled Shawn out of his thoughts and he frowned a little at how pale his friend appeared when she opened the door and gestured him inside. Too used to her ability to know he was there before he ever knocked he shrugged before stepping inside and turning to the woman.

She held a hand up, "I know why you're here. Three women right? I don't think they have much time."

The man noticed out of the corner of his eye an open bottle of migraine medication and a half empty glass.

"You had a vision?" he asked.

Her you're-an-idiot look was as good as a yes.

"Did you see where they were? No one has been able to pinpoint a place and Lassie and Jules think we only have a few hours left." His hand came up to steady his friend as she winced and shook her head.

"Couldn't see a location for sure, but they are in an old house of some kind? Run down definitely. They're in the basement and I can't see anything helpful. Did you bring me something to help?"

Shawn pulled out the photo as he guided CJ to a chair and placed it in her hands. Her eyes closed immediately and he hoped she was getting something useful. He recalled a recent conversation about how her visions were more detailed now, but ultimately she got stronger, and more helpful readings from touch.

CJ tensed and started mumbling under her breath, Shawn could understand enough to know she was channeling the fear of the three women right now. He reached out a hand to shake her out of it but her eyes snapped open before he made contact.

"39 Willow street in a neighborhood called Three Acres. It's about 30 minutes away and you need to hurry. One of the women, she… made them mad. The man in charge wants to hurt her and I don't think they are going to wait as long as they normally do. Shawn, GO!"

CJ practically shoved him up and towards the door and Shawn texted Lily to check on the woman as he ran to his bike and sped towards the station.

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When he returned the tension was even higher and he could hear Lassiter snapping at the junior officers to get him some useful information damn it. Juliet's head snapped up when Shawn skidded into the station, the hopeful look on her face apparent across the room.

"Where were you?" The head detective practically snarled, he may not completely believe Shawn was psychic but with dead ends all around "visions" were all they had to rely on.

"Communing with the spirits, Lassie-face." His smile wasn't as manic as usual and the fake-psychic revealed the information CJ had given him with very little fanfare and just one hand to his head. "I see 39, Willow Street, and Three Acres. The spirits are telling me to hurry, someone is very, very angry."

The police department exploded into action, the detectives gearing up while an officer entered the search on the computer. He quickly cried out the directions while another grabbed the print out so quickly the last line was a little smudged.

As the police cars tore out of the parking lot, Gus and Shawn followed in the Blueberry, hoping CJ's information had come in time.

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The police cars cut their sirens as they neared the neighborhood and parked around the block, the officers mobilizing quickly and moving in on number 39. They entered the house just as Shawn and Gus came up the driveway and moments later the two heard Lassiter's gruff "SBPD, put your weapons down" just before the sound of gunshots made them drop to the ground.

Shawn recovered first and ran up the stairs to see three men on the ground and Lassiter grabbing his arm and barking at someone on the radio to get a medic.

"Spencer, what the hell do you think you're doing? You could have been shot."

The pain from what Shawn realized was a gunshot wound in Lassister's arm made that sound a whole lot closer to real concern than the detective intended.

"The women, they're in the basement. I think one needs medical attention."

The bruises on the knuckles of the prone criminal closest to him hadn't escaped his notice and he hoped the woman was okay.

Lassiter's eye widened at that and he and Juliet raced towards the basement and down the stairs with Shawn close at their heels. Lassiter fumbled for the light switch and flicked it on, only to be met by the terrified but determined faces of two women huddled over their friend. The anger in their eyes caused him to holster his gun and put his hands up.

"SBPD ladies, we are here to help. How is she?"

Juliet had already fallen to her knees at the side of the injured woman and was checking her pulse and trying to assess her injuries at the same time. Lassiter saw the women flinch when he stepped closer and immediately backed up and called for a stretcher to be brought down. Shawn caught the eye of one of the women and gasped quietly when he realized they looked too familiar. He blinked and looked again, now seeing dark brown eyes and a slightly confused look on the woman's face. Stepping back against the wall to get out of the way of the medics, Shawn then went up the stairs and out the door, ignoring Gus' scolding as he whipped out his phone and dialed.

"CJ what the hell was that?" His voice was edging on panic and he wasn't sure exactly why as he thought he'd completely grasped what it meant that his friend was truly psychic.

"What was what?" Shawn's snort brought a soft sigh from the woman and she began again. "I just wanted to make sure everyone was okay, the woman couldn't feel anything and if it makes you feel any better I will not be doing that again. I feel like I got hit by a truck."

"It doesn't make me feel any better. Can you do that all the time? Wait, this is not a good time for this conversation," his last comment made in a whisper as Juliet and Lassiter had just emerged from the house. "Dinner tonight. Don't even think of getting out of it. I'll bring tacos."

He hung up the phone just as the detectives reached him and Gus.

"Did you get shot, Lassiter?" Gus practically screamed, calling the attention of a medic who grabbed a kit and walked over with a take-no-prisoners look on his face. Obviously, the guy had heard about Lassiter's reticence to medical treatment.

"I'm fine Guster. It's just a graze, no need to faint." The barest hint of humor in his voice showed how happy the detective was they'd gotten to the women in time. The EMT in the basement had said that the one woman's injuries were not life threatening and that physically she should recover within a week or two.

The head detective started edging away as he noticed the man with the first aid kit coming over but his partner grabbed his uninjured arm and just glared until he sighed and walked to meet the man halfway before heading to the back of the ambulance to sit down and grudgingly let his wound be treated.

"Would you guys be up for dinner tonight? Carlton needs someone around to make sure he actually takes his pills. Everyone could come to my place and we can order pizza, have a quiet night in?" Shawn detected a slight tremble in Juliet's voice, her partner being shot, even if it was only a graze affected her and he knew his girlfriend's request had a lot to do with no wanting to be alone. "Gus can you call Lily and Shawn if you ask CJ? I'll have to finish some paperwork at the station but let's say six?" Juliet turned and walked over to her partner without waiting for confirmation.

Gus and Shawn looked at each other and shrugged. Gus would take any excuse to hang out with his girlfriend and Shawn would have plenty of time to interrogate CJ before six.

"Let's just head to the store now and hang out until it's time?"

Gus nodded in response to Shawn's question and led the way to his car.

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CJ popped another painkiller and gulped down a glass of water, wincing as she remember the slight hysteria in Shawn's voice during his call. She hadn't even known what she was doing really. Picking up the picture again a while after Shawn left she could hear gunshots and angry yelling, knowing immediately the police were at the house. Opening herself up even farther she could feel the woman's fear for her friends and herself. Seeing a path the psychic had pushed herself down it only to open her eyes and see Shawn in the corner of a dingy basement. Her surprise has yanked her out of the woman as quickly as she'd entered but not before she caught the bright red stain on Lassiter's arm.

Her worry over the detective made her snort out a quick laugh. Shawn's teasing wasn't helping, and she kept remembering that dinner and car ride back. Lassiter's laugh was nothing special and she refused to think about how it had made her happy to see the rigid man relax as he drove her home.

CJ heard footsteps on her stairs and wondered if Lily had come back up again to check on her. Stupid Shawn and his making her assistant worry. She opened the door already scolding her employee.

"Lily I am quite alright you don't need to keep… oh it's you."

Shawn decided not to take her tone of voice to heart and stepped inside closing and locking the door behind him.

"Yes it's me. The one who just saw your eyes in a basement across town and oh yeah, in another woman's face!" The hysteria she'd detected in his phone call bubbled over as he practically yelled.

"Come in. Sit down." Her dry tone of voice made Shawn shoot her a glare as he flopped on her couch and crossed his arms, making it abundantly clear he wasn't leaving until he got an explanation.

Ignoring his pouting she sat down in the chair opposite him and curled her legs under her, picking up her still warm tea cup and inhaling the steam hoping her head stopped pounding soon.

"First, is Lassiter okay? I didn't see much but there was blood on his shirt."

Shawn relaxed a little, the concern in his friend's voice for the detective very evident. "He's fine. It was just a graze , now please tell me what just happened."

"Honestly? I have no idea. That's the first time I've done that. I just saw a path and followed and then I was there, I could see everything she did. It was… well it was strange but it didn't last long. How did you know it was me?"

"Her eyes were green, in all the pictures she had brown eyes. Wow, that's freaky, even for you, CJ."

"Tell me about it. When I got back to my body it wasn't pleasant let me tell you. I will not be trying that out again anytime soon."

The exhaustion and pain on her face were evident and Shawn couldn't really be angry at her as she seemed just as freaked out as he did. He opened his arms, "Come here."

CJ curled up against him and he cursed his earlier gruffness when he realized she was trembling. They sat like that for awhile, Shawn comforting his friend as she slowly stopped shaking.

The two friends eventually broke apart and CJ went to the kitchen to grab pop cans for them both before coming back to the living room. Shawn was sitting up and looking at her with a sheepish expression.

"Uh, so, you totally don't have to if you don't want, but um…"

"Oh my god, just spit whatever it is out, Shawn." The woman flopped onto the couch next to him and offered him the Coke can as she popped the top of her own.

"Well, the whole getting shot at and Lassie-face getting hurt thing seems to have shaken Juliet up and well, she wants us all to have pizza at her place tonight. She asked me to invite you and Gus is downstairs distracting, I mean inviting Lily."

Shawn wasn't above using puppy-dog eyes to convince his friend to agree to his girlfriend's plan. CJ knew she was being played but she couldn't shake the need to see that Lassiter was okay for herself.

"What time?"

"Six." Shawn smirked as CJ rolled her eyes.

"We are getting a Hawaiian pizza."

"Like I would ever turn down anything with pineapple."

"True, video games?"

Shawn grinned, "This is why we're friends, Ceej. No crying when I wipe the floor with you."

"You talk a big game, can you follow through?" CJ smiled, her headache had finally receded until it was just a faint twinge and she couldn't help but feel happy that Juliet had included her in tonight's plans.

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Shawn seemed to be making it his mission to be as ridiculous as possible during the video game showdown and a couple hours later when Gus and Lily came upstairs to grab them for the drive over the couple could hear their friend's laughter coming through the door.

Gus and Lily took the Blueberry while CJ and Shawn went on his bike. The group arrived at Juliet's to find no sign of Lassiter's car in the driveway, but Shawn had a feeling his girlfriend wouldn't have let the injured man drive and figured he was already inside.

The four friends rang the doorbell and were met by a smiling Juliet. If they noticed she was still a little pale from the day's events they were polite enough not to mention it. She led them into her living room and both CJ and Gus noticed some things that definitely belonged to Shawn already in residence, including an Xbox and a recipe book that loudly proclaimed itself "The World's Biggest Churro Recipe Book."

The SBPD head detective was quietly sitting in a large armchair watching the latest reality show with disinterest. CJ was slightly worried about his inattention to their interest and frowned before Shawn commented.

"You're pretty quiet their Lassie. Did they give you the good pain pills?"

CJ mentally smacked the back of her own head, wondering how she could have forgotten that the detective was likely on pain meds for his wound. Shawn's voice seemed to break him out of his trance though and he looked up taking in the group now before him. A small half-smile broke out on his face when he saw CJ and Juliet and Shawn exchanged smirks even as Lassiter growled something about all the pain pills in the world not being enough to deal with Shawn all night.

The next few minutes were chaotic as arguments over pizza toppings got way too heated in the way they always do among friends. CJ and Shawn were debating how many slices each they'd eat to determine what size of Hawaiian they'd need while Juliet and Lassiter were in a fight over pepperoni vs. sausage and Gus and Lily were arguing whether or not any vegetable other than tomatoes belonged on a pizza. They ended up settling on three larges, Hawaiian, ½ pepperoni and ½ sausage, and Supreme. CJ had interrupted the two detectives argument from her seat on the couch closest to Lassiter with a hand on his arm and a suggestion that they get half and half and Juliet had been too amused by the cute expression on Lassiter's face at CJ's touch to argue about contamination on the slices in the middle.

Juliet went off to order while Gus pouted about losing to his girlfriend. Shawn's offer to share some vegetable-free pizza cheered him up and CJ went to help Juliet grab drinks for everybody. Unconsciously opening the correct cabinet that held the glasses made the blonde give her a funny look but CJ just shrugged and motioned to Juliet to continue giving her address to the delivery man.

_Gotta__stop__zoning__out._CJ shook her head at herself, knowing that only 2/5 people here knew her secret and she needed to keep it that way. Unintentionally reading the location of Juliet's glasses could be shrugged off as a lucky guess but she needed to pay more attention. It'd be easier if she wasn't so tired from earlier but that wasn't any excuse.

Calling back to the living the two woman grabbed soft drinks and water for the group and came back loaded down with glasses, cans and pitchers. Lassiter and Lily jumped up to help, before Juliet firmly told her partner to sit down, relax and for God's sake don't pop his stitches. Drinks were dispersed and a movie was chosen, the men rolling their eyes when the women quickly agreed to Captain America, mostly because it was a good flick but partly because of the actor's abs in that one scene.

CJ had been the Vana White for displaying movie choices so she popped the DVD in and turned to sit down only to realize she'd been set up. The love seat was taken up by Lily and Juliet with Gus and Shawn in front of their respective girlfriends. The only logical place to sit where someone could see the TV and reach the table where the pizza would be once it came was right in front of Lassiter. A quick glance at the man told CJ he'd figured that out too and was warily watching her as if to see if she'd complain. Smiling she plopped down in front of him, waving off his apologies and offers to sit on the floor.

"You're the injured one, plus I like the floor."

"She does, it's weird. When I worked for her half the time I'd walk into the office and she'd have the paperwork spread out on the floor as she sat with her back to her desk."

Lassiter slipped the decorative pillow from his chair to the floor by her side, smirking at her when she looked up questioningly and jerking his head in Shawn's direction, the fake-psychic already distracted by a conversation with Gus. CJ grinned and waited until Shawn put his glass down to smack him in the face. The look on his face made her bust out laughing and she leaned back against Lassiter's legs as she tried not to fall over. Once her giggling subsided the pizza had arrived and she leaned forward and grabbed a couple slices handing them to the detective behind her before taking her own and leaning right back against his legs. _It__'__s__just__more__comfortable__than__sitting__straight__up.__Yeah,__I__'__ll__keep__telling__myself__that._

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Lassiter waved Juliet off as he unlocked his door. He hoped he wouldn't regret letting his partner know where he lived but he didn't trust himself to drive on pain pills so when everyone headed out, Shawn went to drop CJ off and Juliet took Lassiter home. The blonde detective sigh frustrated with his stubbornness but just urged him to take it easy and wished him a good night. The teasing in her tone made Lassiter groan inwardly, his partner in a happy relationship seemed to think everyone who was single was desperate for a significant other and she was only too happy to play matchmaker.

The detective wasn't stupid. He knew that his friends, God forbid Spencer ever heard him refer to the man that way, were trying to set him up with CJ. Subtle, they were not, but what he wasn't sure was why she didn't seemed bothered by it. The way the brunette rolled her eyes at the two when they'd maneuvered the seating around tonight showed him it wasn't because she was oblivious to their machinations, but all she'd done was smile and go with it. The woman was sane (mostly, she was friends with Spencer after all), decently attractive and about ten years his junior but she seemed to genuinely like Lassiter if he went by their conversations last weekend and tonight.

Shaking his head he tried to ignore the guilt he felt at his background check now that he'd gotten to know the woman better, but he still felt like she was hiding something and he wasn't going to let anything get in the way of finding out the truth.

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Apparently, a gunshot wound was not enough to get him out of helping Shawn move in with Juliet on Saturday, although his role was mostly to be a supervisor at Juliet's pointing out which boxes went where. The whole process took much less time than he expected but then again, Shawn didn't really have that much stuff in his apartment/dry cleaners. The group moved out onto Juliet's back porch with beers and tacos to relax once all the boxes had been put away.

The conversation was light and the friends just enjoyed a chance to sit and do absolutely nothing for an evening. Once again CJ and Lassiter were next to each other. The casual way the woman just bumped their knees together when she was trying to get Lassiter to agree with her in her fight with Gus about whether otters or koalas were cuter, CJ thought otters were, made his breath catch and he wasn't exactly sure what his response was but it seemed adequate as CJ crowed victory over Guster moments later.

Lassiter rose, needing distance from this group and time to sort out his thoughts. He claimed that he'd left his antibiotics at home and needed to get back to take his next dose, ignoring the slight hurt on CJ's face and the censure on Juliet's he got into his car and drove home.

He slammed his door shut when he got in, angry with himself for getting so worked up over a simple attraction. _That__'__s__all__it__is,__just__hormones,__it__'__ll__pass._He snorted, self-aware enough to know he was kidding himself as soon as he had the thought. He popped his next pill, he hadn't been lying about the antibiotics but he could have waited on the dose, and went to check his computer. He was bidding on a civil war flask on ebay and the auction closed tomorrow.

To his surprise he had an email from his friend James, a week earlier than expected. He took a deep breath and shoved his guilt aside before clicking on it. He frowned as the only text was Call me. and a phone number. His curiosity piqued, he dialed the number and waited for his friend to pick up.

"Thompson."

"Hey James, it's Carlton, I thought you were supposed to be on vacation?"

"I am on vacation, but your email seemed time sensitive. I have to admit I was surprised, I'm not on the list of people who normally vouch for Cassandra."

"Uh, normally vouch for Cassandra? I'm not sure what you mean James, she gave her name as CJ and it just came up in an investigation." It wasn't a total lie as she had momentarily been a suspect when she called in the tip the first time he met her.

"Oh hell, I'm not sure how much I can tell you then, Carlton."

"Wait, what the hell, James? Just because she gave her name as CJ? Plenty of people give us nicknames, and frankly this discussion is making me damn suspicious." He knew he was overreacting, but his agitation was due in part to the fact the woman he may or may not, _may,_ be attracted to had something to hide, something the FBI was willing to help her hide.

"Sorry, all I can tell you is that she's one of the good guys," A frustrated sigh came over the phone, "And Carlton? If she comes to you and tells you something about a case, or a possible case and it's too detailed with too much information, don't arrest her. Listen to her and call me back, or she should give you a list of people to call to verify who she is."

"Who exactly is she?"

"Again, I'm sorry but her identity is pretty protected among law force agencies and I respect her too much to break her trust. Either ask her yourself or wait for her to come to you. Sorry I couldn't be of more help, my hands are tied."

"Thanks anyway, James."

_What__the__hell?_Carlton paced around his home trying to figure out what James had meant. It sounded familiar but he couldn't place it right now, his head was hurting and his arm was sore. Deciding he needed to sleep on it he undressed and got ready for bed, slipping under the covers and trying to ignore the set of pretty green eyes and cute smile he saw whenever he closed his eyes.

**Author's note:** Confrontation/major case starts next chapter! Thank you to everyone who has stuck around and double thanks to those of you who review :)


	8. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: RL sucks sometimes, but I'm back again. Hope you enjoy :)**

CJ had headed home soon after Carlton's abrupt departure, her excuse of having to do inventory pretty thin after Lily pointed out they had been planning to do it on Monday. Mumbling something about getting a head start CJ had fled before anyone could stop her. The group left behind exchanged worried glances before Juliet spoke up.

"They are both idiots. Sorry, but it's true. You don't have to be a detective to see there's something there, right? I'm not imagining it?"

"You aren't." Lily wasn't normally the type to gossip but after only a few weeks of working for CJ, the assistant could tell the head detective had an effect on her friend. "CJ likes him, I'd bet on it. After that case on Wednesday, when we all hung out for pizza she kept looking up at him with this half-smile that just screamed 'I think you're cute' when she thought he wasn't looking. It would have been adorable if it wasn't so pathetic." The woman's eyebrows shot up as if she couldn't believe what she'd just said. Giggling she flushed with embarrassment even as Gus and Shawn chimed in with agreement.

"CJ is almost as bad on the dating scene as Lassie-pants though. When I used to work for her I tried to set her up a few times and one time she got so nervous before a first date she puked. The spirits are telling me these two are going to need some serious hand-holding," The fake-psychic tilted his head as if listening to a voice from beyond, "or we could lock them in a closet. The spirits are voting for the closet but they're mischievous, little bastards."

Juliet got a slightly scary, scheming look on her face at the closet comment and Shawn thought for a second he should warn CJ, then he remembered she was psychic and if she couldn't see that coming it was her own fault. He chuckled inwardly even as Gus jumped on the matchmaking boat with a comment about how a happy Lassie would mean less yelling at the Psych employees, something he would definitely appreciate.

The two couples fueled by beer and Mexican food put their heads together to plan Operation Get Lassie and CJ Together, they really needed to come up with a shorter code name, with neither of the targets any the wiser.

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Being the owner of a small business had its perks, but it also meant that Sunday mornings CJ had to drag herself out of bed at the ungodly hour of 9am. Okay, so the psychic wasn't a morning person by any stretch of the imagination. The look on Lassiter's face as he pretty much ran away from her last night was not helping her mood. She shuffled to the coffee maker and turned it on before going down the hall and unlocking the door that led to her office. She hadn't been lying about the need to do inventory even if she had pushed up the date a few days. Booting up the computer she found an email from an FBI agent she'd worked with several years ago. Deciding she needed that coffee before she read anything connected to her work with the government, she wandered back over to her apartment and waited for the coffee maker to finish.

The psychic ran through her memories to pinpoint what case she had worked with Agent Thompson and sighed in relief when she realized it was a bank robbery where she'd just helped recover a single hostage that had been left on the side of a back road in the mountains and no one had actually gotten hurt. She'd only been called in that time because the hostage was diabetic and they had needed to find her as quickly as possible.

CJ worked with the FBI a few times a year on average and had built up quite a good reputation. In fact the FBI had helped her with the name she was living under now and had set up the network that would vouch for a "Cassandra Johnson" if she ever needed a police department to believe her quickly when time was of the essence. That identity had been set up ten years ago after the case that had driven Shawn away. She wasn't exaggerating when she told him it was much, much worse than anything she'd dealt with before. A man had been strangling young women and reviving them time and time again. He also tortured his victims in between "deaths" and CJ's visions had been detailed enough to give her nightmares for years afterwards. They'd finally caught the man and his aura had been so black and dead it made the psychic sick to think about.

The smell of coffee broke her out of the bad memories and CJ poured herself a big mug with lots of sugar before going back to face the email. She hoped it wasn't another case, it was hard to say no to the FBI and she knew that for that reason they only called her in if they were completely out of leads. The government shrinks she went to after the strangler case had been adamant the department not exploit her gifts, CJ was just lucky they let her go with a few warnings about not being afraid to get help to deal with what she saw. She knew they meant well but ever since she was a child she'd disliked psychiatrists.

Deciding she couldn't put it off any longer she clicked on Thompson's email, innocuously titled "Checking in." As she read his short message a frown appeared, followed quickly by annoyance. He had written to inform her that a detective from the SBPD had questioned him regarding her but hadn't given the proper pseudonym and thus James hadn't allowed him access to her official file and the corresponding lecture on her abilities.

Thanking God for small miracles, CJ sat back in her chair and blew out a breath trying to control her anger. She knew it was Lassiter, and she couldn't help but be mad he'd kept digging. She also knew though, that he was a cop and smart enough to realize she was keeping secrets. _Being __mature __and __putting __myself __in __his __shoes __sucks._The thought made her grin even as she tried to ignore the hurt that he hadn't simply asked her. CJ wasn't sure what she would say, that kind of situation had never come up but she knew she'd prefer him questioning her to him going behind her back and involving the FBI.

She shot off a quick reply, thanking Thompson for his update and assuring him she was handling it. Sighing her displeasure with the morning's events she finished reading emails and sent a quick request to her distributor for more of the best seller's list before finally getting dressed and going downstairs to unlock the store. Lily wouldn't be in until later in the afternoon and Sundays were always quiet so CJ grabbed the newest in the crime series she was reading and settled herself behind the cash register, enjoying the peace for as long as it lasted.

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Lassiter wasn't haven't the best morning. His cowardly exit from his partner's along with the annoyingly cryptic phone call from James were eating at him. He slurped down his coffee while leaning against the kitchen counter.

The cop in Lassiter was screaming that the woman was hiding something, and that Shawn was in on it. Lassiter's inner cop always thought Shawn was up to something though.

The man in Carlton who was attracted, yes he could admit it, to CJ couldn't help feeling guilty about going behind her back like this. As much as he thought Shawn's ability was another facet of his bullshitting skills he couldn't help but believe Spencer wouldn't be friends with someone who was a danger to others. CJ didn't seem very threatening but she got this look in her eyes sometimes that Lassiter had found most often on investigators who had seen too many heinous things in their lives. What was that look doing on a bookstore owner's face?

Cursing himself for getting soft he decided to head into the station. He and Juliet weren't on call this weekend but there was always paperwork to get through and it'd keep him busy.

Throwing on the first suit he saw, the detective grabbed his gun and badge and yanked the door open, still annoyed that he was wavering on investigating the background of that infernal woman.

"What the?"

"Um, hi. Can we talk?"

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That infernal woman showing up on his doorstep seemingly intent on a conversation was not something Carlton expected. He stood there like an idiot, mouth gaping, trying to come up with a reason why he couldn't talk. _Work!_

"Work. That is… I have to go to work." _Smooth,__Carlton __she __definitely __doesn__'__t __suspect __anything __now._

"Juliet told me you have the day off." Sighing, CJ stepped forward forcing Lassiter to look her in the eye. "I know you contacted the FBI while checking into my background. I was just thinking you might want answers straight from the horses mouth as it were."

The look on her face was pure stubbornness and Lassiter had to stop himself from flinching. He wasn't sure at this point he wanted to know why the FBI was protecting this obviously not-so-simple bookstore owner.

"Carlton, please." She looked earnest with the slightest bit of resignation, as if she assumed he'd ignore her, possibly from past experience.

"Fine, come in." He stepped aside and followed behind the woman to his living room. He watched her settle herself in, and seeing her in his home definitely made something twinge in the area his heart might be, which made him even grumpier.

His posture was rigid and his arms were crossed defensively in front of him as he leaned in the doorway to the kitchen.

"Okay, explain. Explain why the FBI is protecting you, what your real name is, what the hell you do to get high level protection from a federal agency?" His voice got progressively louder as his agitation increased. Lassiter wasn't a man who liked to be kept in the dark.

"You may want to sit down for this." She paused, waiting for him to listen to her before rolling her eyes at his refusal to do the simple act. "Fine. You probably won't believe me but you already know you can call James, Agent Thompson. Ask him for the file on Cassandra Johnson."

Carlton opened his mouth to interrupt and CJ shot him a look that shut him up as she continued.

"Please, let me get this out. I need you to know that very few people hear this from me, and whatever you choose to believe you cannot share this with anyone."

CJ paused again, sucking in a breath and steeling herself to continue.

"I'm psychic." She held a hand up in warning. "I know you don't believe Shawn but believe me."

She continued her speech, rehearsed through so many repetitions in front of incredulous officers of the law, but never more heartfelt than right now. She wanted more than anything to read him, to see if he believed her, if he ever could. But she wouldn't, she would give him the privacy he deserved even if his silence was killing her.

"I'm not, I can't," Carlton's mind was whirling, nothing she said made sense but at the same time it did. She was so sure and she explained so well. He could tell this wasn't the first time she'd explained her gift and he wondered how many others she had told. Shawn had to know, which meant Gus did, he didn't think Juliet could have heard this. She would have told him. The blonde detective knew he… liked CJ and he couldn't imagine the psychic, other-psychic's girlfriend keeping that information from him.

"Well you haven't threaten to call the insane asylum, so you're ahead of the curve there." CJ's voice wavered during her attempt at a joke and Carlton couldn't resist the urge to take a seat beside her.

He hesitantly put a comforting hand on her back and considered joking back about the sanitarium but his instincts told him that hadn't exactly been a joke. He mentally cursed whomever had put that note of fear in CJ even as his inner skeptic railed at him for not immediately laughing in her face and sending her off.

"Why me? I mean you said you don't tell many people and I get the feeling the ones that know have been apart of the cases you've worked…" He trailed off, insecurity overriding the feeling of relief he'd had when she'd offered to explain.

CJ shifted next to him until her hand was on his knee and their faces were a little too close for polite conversation. She opened and closed her lips a few times as if trying to decide what she could say.

"Carlton, I…" Her breath was warm on his face and his attention was only have on her words and half on her mouth, scant inches from him. _It __would __only __take __a __second __to __bridge __the __gap __and__…_

His thoughts were cut short when the woman beside him tensed. He pulled his hand back from her side as if burned and an apology sprang to his lips. The words were bitten back when Lassiter saw how pale CJ was. Her eyes were unfocused and her hands were clenched so tightly he worried her nails were drawing blood in her palms.

He remembered what she had said about her visions and suddenly everything clicked into place. This wasn't a fit, he hadn't done anything wrong. She was seeing something. CJ had explained that the visions normally lasted a minute or two at the most so Lassiter sat back, his hands hovering uncertainly wanting to comfort but not wanting to interfere.

Five minutes passed and Lassiter was becoming frantic. CJ's breathing was getting more shallow by the minute and he could see purple bruising appearing on her arms out of no where. Her face was pale and her lips were pressed tightly together as if trying to hold words back. _Or __as __if __her __mouth __were __taped __shut._

"Fuck!" Carlton swore loudly as it passed the six minute mark since CJ had gone catatonic and yanked out his cell. Hitting the speed dial for Shawn he prayed to whomever would listen that the other psychic knew what to do.


	9. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: **And we finally have our killer in this chapter! Thanks for everyone still hanging in here :D

"Shawn's Massage parlor at your service, we guarantee you a happy ending."

The detective could hear the sound of a smack on the other side of the phone and then his partner's voice chiding her boyfriend for his phone manners.

"Shawn." He paused not sure how to explain CJ's condition, but the anxiety must have come through in his voice.

"I'll be right there Lassiter. How is she?"

"She won't, she won't wake up or snap out of it or whatever it's called coming out of a … vision"

Shawn could practically hear Carlton grinding his teeth on the last word, then again if CJ really was in the middle of a bad vision anyone would be hard pressed to see it as anything else.

"Just stay close and call me again if it gets any worse. She's never under more than a couple minutes."

"It's already been 7."

Carlton heard Spencer cursing on the other side of the connection before he heard the distinct sounds of his motorcycle.

"I'll be there soon."

The concern in the younger man's voice made the detective look back at the woman on the couch helplessly. This was one of the few times he was looking forward to the oft-manic man arriving at his house.

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Shawn burst in the door and Carlton had a passing thought that he needed to figure out where Shawn got a key before his worry overrode his annoyance.

"She passed out about 3 minutes after your call. She was in the trance, vision, thing for just about 10 minutes. Her heartbeat is still a little fast and she's so pale."

Spencer's glanced sharply at the older man as if trying to read something on his face. Nodding slightly at whatever he'd seen he started barking orders.

"Grab paper and a pen, grab a few pens actually. With her under this long, goodness knows what she's seen. Damn, she said she hasn't had a bad one in a couple years. Carlton, it's going to be, bad probably really bad. Just… don't hurt her, please."

Shawn's voice softened at the end and Lassiter bit back his first response of asking how he could hurt the woman before just nodding his head and going to fetch the needed stationary.

When he returned from fetching paper he stopped in the doorway. Shawn had placed himself on the couch and laid his friend's head in his lap on a pillow. He was stroking her hair and murmuring to her. Lassiter only picked out a few words but it seemed like the man was promising not to abandon her, again. His hand clenched at the term again. Apparently, he needed to interrogate Juliet on exactly what happened the first time these two were friends.

"Shawn, I don't know, that is to say, I'm really not sure what to do. For Christ's sake, Shawn, she has bruises on her arms. They just appeared out of nowhere, how do I deal with that?"

"Catch the bad guy Lassiter, what we always do. She won't sleep until then. The visions give her nightmares. Crap, I almost forgot. Do you have any migraine medicine in the house? Or painkillers? She's going to be in a lot of pain when she wakes up."

His hand ghosted across the woman's forehead before falling to his side. The anguish on his face not quite hidden when he looked back up at Carlton. There was also a sense of helplessness that Lassiter shared. He went and grabbed a couple bottles from the medicine cabinet before returning to the living room.

The two man sat for awhile longer in silence, waiting for the woman they both cared for, albeit in different ways, to wake up. The longer Shawn stayed silent the more worried Carlton became, the psychic was never quiet, his patter was so much a part of who he was that without it he seemed somewhat empty.

Finally CJ stirred on the couch. Still pale as a ghost she sat up slowly and reached for the pad of paper and pens on the coffee table. Her refusal to meet either of the men's eyes made Shawn cast another worried look at the detective before jerking his head towards the couch on the other side of his friend. Carlton was confused for a moment before sighing and moving to sit in the empty place.

The detective craned his neck to see what she was writing and couldn't help but noticed the way her hand shook slightly. Her handwriting was hard to decipher but the words he could pick out chilled him. _Serial killer, victims, random, exsanguination, no not random, auras, colors, gold, blood, death._

It was almost a twenty minutes after she had woken up that CJ finally released her death grip on the pen she held. She set the papers back on the coffee table and stretched, her back and neck cracking audibly. Leaning back against the couch she took in both men's worried looks and sighed.

"I'm fine."

Shawn's glare cut her off before she could repeat the lie.

"Ok. I'm not fine, and I'm not going to be fine for a long time. He, or she, I'm not sure. They are hunting people by their auras. It's why no police department has seen a connection. Whoever they are, they're angry at those with certain colors or attributes in their auras. I don't know, I'm not a psychologist, maybe someone like that hurt them, but…"

"But what?" Carlton was refraining from pushing her, quelled by an unusually steely glare from SBPD's official psychic.

"The one's he, she hunts. Their auras have gold in them. Gold is a, rare-ish color and no one I've ever met with gold in their aura is in anyway cruel. Aura reading isn't a science and it is definitely subjective depending on the reader but to me, gold represents a kind of positive energy and creativity maybe an innate goodness or sense of life. I'm sorry I can't explain it any better."

Shawn had tensed up immediately upon the mention of gold and Lassiter had a bad feeling in his gut. Seeing the psychics' clasped hands he winced and opened his mouth to ask a question he wasn't sure he wanted the answer to.

"Which one of you?"

"It's Shawn." The fear in CJ's voice made it waver slightly. "Shawn's aura is streaked with gold, more than almost anyone I've met. And in the vision, the person, the killer, they are coming here, coming to Santa Barbara. They might even be here already."

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Carlton grasped the edges of the counter, his head down as he tried to stop himself from hitting something. Shawn had coaxed CJ into eating an apple and she'd agreed to try some take out. The detective had just finished ordering and was trying to delay his return to the living room. The bruises on CJ's arms were a deep purple now, though the psychic claimed they would probably be gone by tomorrow. Her voice was still hoarse and she had a death grip on Shawn's hand, not letting the man out of her sight.

Lassiter could tell Spencer wanted to call in reinforcements, he knew Jules and Gus would be here as soon as they could if they knew what was going on. Frankly, he was surprised Juliet had let Shawn come over by himself. But CJ was still shaking and neither the detective nor the younger man wanted to bring anyone in until they were sure she was up for it.

Feeling only a little guilty, Carlton eavesdropped on the conversation in the living room.

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"The chief is going to have to be brought in the loop for this CJ. You don't have to be there, in fact if you want to hope on the next bus to Canada no one would blame you."

"That's not gonna happen Shawn, running away never solved anything." She avoided saying _you should know_ but the fake psychic knew exactly what she meant.

The dark haired man curled an arm around CJ's shoulders and pulled her close.

"We're all here for you Ceej, me, Lassie, Jules, Gus, even my dad. You don't have to do this alone this time, I swear. I know it doesn't make up for abandoning you before but I promise you this time will be different. And Carlton's on board and he's like a cute little pit bull with a chew toy when it comes to crime. We'll solve this, put whoever is doing it behind bars and then you and Lassiepants can work on making him Lassiepantsless."

Shawn's attempt at humor drew a watery smile from his friend before CJ sobered up.

"You're assuming he'd want to be pantsless with me, or around me or whatever. Pretty sure I scared the shit out of him with that, not many people can handle the thought my brain gets temporarily hijacked sometimes. And he knows I can tell how he's feeling now too. I told him everything. Why would he stick around after we catch this guy, girl, killer person?"

Spencer pushed CJ up so he was looking at her face to face. His expression was as serious as it ever got but he was smiling.

"Why wouldn't he want you? I don't think you're giving him enough credit Madame Cleo. He's a good guy, kind of prickly like a hedgehog but hedgehogs are also cute and snuggly. Jules and I think he'd be a snuggler." CJ had her hurry-up-and-get-to-the-point-Shawn look on her face so he continued. "I'm pretty sure he likes you, and he isn't the kind of idiot who gets scared away when things get complicated. Have a little faith, Ceej."

"If you say so, Shawn." She sighed and grimace when she caught a glimpse of her arms, she resisted poking a bruise as she stood up. "I'm going to go freshen up, or whatever women say when they mean pee and don't want to say it in mixed company. Call Jules and Gus, I know you're dying to. The faster we get on this the faster it'll go. I think the 3rd, 5th and 6th pages I wrote on have descriptions of the previous victims, there's at least 7, probably more. All in California though as far as I can tell so we can keep the FBI out of it for now, I think, I never did read that stupid handbook they gave me."

Carlton shifted farther back into the kitchen as CJ walked down the hall to the bathroom. He banged his head against the cabinet gently, wondering what he was going to do. Emotional support was definitely not his strong suit, as his ex-wife constantly reminded him in the last stretch of his marriage. He shoved thoughts of Shawn's conversation with CJ about him away, though he was pleased the younger man had spoken so well of him. Their friendship had grown over the years but it was generally seen more through snarky comments than actual kind words.

Finally venturing out of the kitchen Carlton registered Shawn on the phone to their respective work partners and was thankful they'd ordered a lot of take out. Speaking of take out he heard the doorbell and went to pay. Carrying the food back into the kitchen he quickly checked his coffee supply, he had a feeling no one in the group was going to be getting a lot of sleep until they caught this scumbag.

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_The person stood on the catwalk in the shadows, watching the people in the club dance with a predatory gleam in his eye. Everyone was so close their auras were blending into each other's, causing a riot of color that would have made anyone not used to it ill. But the killer had seen it all before, clubs were easy hunting grounds for finding his particular type of prey. Large crowds of mostly drunk people who were willing to ignore the hair rising on the back of their neck for a pretty enough face. _

_People were stupid, they deserved to die. Some more than most. The golden ones, the ones who reeked of life. It was more fun that way, watching their colors dim and retract into the body as the blood flowed. It was like watching a painter in reverse, the strokes of color disappearing even as he created his masterpiece with their blood. _

_The killer's work only ever had one color, but what did it matter? No one knew what he was recreating, no one saw what he saw. The colors that had ruined his life, the curse that had caused his parents to abandon him as a child when they couldn't deal with his "insanity." That curse now allowed him to find the finest prey, the choicest victims. _

_He laughed as he spotted an explosion of gold step onto the dance floor. His hands clenched and unclenched as he relished the beginning of the chase. He was getting so much better at prolonging the sensation, the seduction before the desecration. He could keep one alive for days now, avoiding the major arteries and still having plenty of blood to play with. _

_The game was made sweeter by the fact that no one even knew to look for him. His artwork was thought to be mere smears by the philistines in the various police departments. The reporter he'd flirted with three deaths ago had assured him that there was no links between the two murders he'd committed in that city, right before the reporter himself became the third victim. His aura not as delicious as the others, but he'd grown suspicious of the questions and had to go. _

_The killer felt invincible, knowing that no one could find him, no one was going to catch him. He pulled on the flirty smile and weaved his way through the crowd, bumping into the woman he'd spotted from above. Her aura practically sparkled and he knew this one would be the best yet. His hands drifted to her hips as he began to dance, relishing the knowledge that in a few hours she'd be screaming for mercy as she bled on his floor._


End file.
